Family Unavoidable
by kendra707
Summary: This is the second part of the Summer Series - Sometimes when your whole world crashes down around you the family you try to avoid is the family that won't let you fall.
1. Chapter 1

**Family Unavoidable**

**So this is going to be the next part of the Summer Series. Hope you all enjoy.**

Chapter 1

David awoke to find himself in a classic horror movie situation. An unfamiliar noise broke the silence of a peacefully sleeping house and this noise so quite that had he not be a light sleeper he wouldn't even have heard it, this noise was coming from the basement.

"Summer." He whispered as he reached for the gun in the night stand. "Summer?" he turned to the empty unslept in spot next to him. He quickly remembered that it had remained empty for the last few nights and knew he would be able to find his wife two rooms down behind the closed door of her best friend.

He ran a tired hand over his tired eyes waiting to hear the sound of the intruder once again before he sprung into action to save the two women residing in his house, possibly without them even knowing.

The noise was in typical horror movie fashion a dragging noise, something that could be mistaken as squirrels or rats; he knew for a fact that he had neither inside this house.

Cocking his gun he left the room and followed the moon light that filled the hallway to the kitchen glancing once at the shut door at the end of the hall able to hear the soft intake and out take of breath from the persons sleeping behind its door.

The noise grew louder as he entered the kitchen where just by the back patio do was the steps towards the unfinished basement that was more of a storage/laundry room then basement. He took each step slowly and focused on stepping on the balls of his feet as to not make a sound. When he foot stepped down on the last step it creaked loudly causing the intruder to raise their head from a box marked "Halloween Decorations."

::

"Jesus fuck Summer." She was definitely not getting use to her husband swearing at her, oh and pointed a gun at her either.

"Seriously David what are you going to do shoot me?" Cross legged in front of the box sitting on the unfinished floor she looked her husband gun pointed directly at her.

"It's like…" He thought for a second. "Three in the morning what the hell are you doing down here?"

She shrugged and returned her box also returning to her icy attitude towards the man.

He took a step closer ducking his head on a low hanging pipe. Clearly not interested in his company she glanced up from the box with a stare that made him stop advancing towards her. "I've seen like 5 spiders since comin down here. Like baseball big spiders."

He gave a half smile but didn't let the warning stop him. "I'll take my chanced" he kicked the open box in front of her with his toes "What are you doing?"

Once again she gave him that look that said more than enough. "Well since we aren't goin, figure I better start fixin this place up for Halloween."

"At three in the morning." He smiled.

"No."

"Oh my mistake so what are you doing then?"

She ignored him and pulled out a few plastic pumpkins from the box. "I can't believe this is all that you have." Two plastic pumpkins and a candy bowl.

Crossing his arms over his chest he shrugged. "You know Halloween is still."

"David I know when Halloween is." She turned the box upside down thinking that maybe there was more hidden and it would possibly fall out thanks to gravity, nothing came out.

"So are you going to be mad at me for a long time or is this something we can just?" He stopped talking when he got the "look" once again.

"Well if you get lonely you know where to find me." He smirked while turning back to the stairs.

"Hell." She mumbled.

"Nope our bed." He told her as he reached the top.

::

She had sat there for a few minutes in the dirt, literally and found herself actually missing her husband. He had just walked away more amused with her attitude then upset by it and maybe at first she was pissed that he wasn't taking her seriously but then once he left she found the gapping whole of his absence hard to handle, but she was Nora and Clay's daughter which meant she was beyond stubborn. She watched the ceiling able to pin point his exact location in the house, he had stopped for water in the kitchen then left his cup on the table which always drove her nuts, checked the weather on the living room tv which would be the same channel as it was when he went to sleep and also wake up, sometimes just to bug he she would wake up before him and change the channel to something loud so that when he still half asleep clicked on the tv would be thrown into a state of alarm instead of peaceful wake up. She smiled to herself as she planned to do just that when she returned upstairs. And then finally she heard him enter their room and lay down on his side of the bed. She missed their bed, she missed the way he held her tightly against his chest with his right arm thrown over her stomach and to working its way up with his wrist placed between her breasts. She miss the V his left arm made that her head always fit perfectly in, her eyes began to shut as she remembered the way her body instantly relax as she slowed her breathing to match the breathing pattern his lungs made when he slept. Ava just wasn't cutting it anymore.

Kicking the empty box away she pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them finding it a poor substitute for the warm only her husband could provide.

Yes she was still mad and no this wasn't something that would just go away.

::

Apparently it was a morning for scares. After she waited for David's rude awakening she laughed herself the whole way to another house. Her laughter didn't stop as she opened the back door with her key, nor did it stop when she turned on the kitchen light, it did however stop when she saw the man sitting at the kitchen table and her laughter turned to a scream.

Jasper raised his head from the floor where he slept next to the man's feet but quickly returned it after confirming there was no real need for him to get up.

"Jesus fuck Clay." Her hand went to her heart as she was struck with Déjà vu.

"Morning." He sat back holding his cigar between fingers watching his daughter's pounding heart from across the room. "Figure it's time I wait up to see this mystery chef." He tilted his head to look at her with suspicious eyes. "Honestly though I figured it was Bobby" He lied just to humor her.

"Just because I am mad at you doesn't mean I want you to die of starvation." She walked towards the fridge and removed the contents she had placed in it the day before. "Besides you eat way to much shit your cholesterol is probably through the roof."

He shrugged wondering for a second when his health was actually any of her business.

"I'm heading to Wal-Mart today to pick up some things for Halloween I can get you some stuff for the house if you want?" She was blowing it at making casual conversation; too much had happened in the last few days for them to have just casual conversation.

"Nah no kids come here anyways." He picked up the paper hoping it would be a good distraction to the hurt that was caused by the person a few feet over.

"I love Halloween, next to Christmas it's my favorite holiday." Her words drift as she began cooking.

The blender broke up the uncomfortable silence and he found himself watching her more than pretending to read the paper. "What the hell is that?"

"Well Clay this would be part of the breakfast plan I have made for you."

His brows met confusingly in the center of his forehead. "Excuse me."

"Grapes, spinach, green tea, avocado, and a touch of honey." Clay shook his head as she listed the ingredients. "High in fiber, high in potassium, and low in cholesterol. Enjoy." She placed the cup in front of him.

"I'm not drinking this shit." With his paper he pushed the glass away.

"Uh yeah you are." She pushed it back.

"Uh no I'm not."

This went on for a good 5 minutes until Summer had had enough. "If you want to be around long enough to see your granddaughter you will."

::

He forced the drink and horrible, k not totally horrible, cinnamon oatmeal down in exchange for her to talk.

"He took the chief position." She traced the rings the smooth cup had left on the table, a smirk covered her face as she knew the rings wouldn't come out of Gemma's perfect dining room table, small victory to her yay! "He didn't even ask me just told me." She looked up at her father. "He said he was giving up everything for nothing." And there was the kicker, had he just talked to her about it she would have stayed, she would have been disappointed sure but when he said that he was giving up everything for nothing, that is when she stopped listening and her anger took over. She wasn't nothing, Maisy wasn't nothing, their marriage wasn't nothing.

"K have you talked to him yet?" He took one last spoonful.

She glanced up with a good old "what do you think" look.

"So I'll take that as a no." Clay washed the oatmeal down with the last of his smoothie. "Want my advice?" He ignored the next look. Glancing at the clock he gave her a pat on the hand. "You know I actually need to head in to town and pick up a few things myself, interested in keeping your old man company."

She shrugged. "Got nothing else goin for me today."

"Good we can talk on the way." Standing from the table her father left the cut behind on the chair.

::

Like a sulking teenager she stood and the till as her father chatted up the cashier on his opinion about what size anchor would be better in hanging a... she had tuned out long ago. As she turned away from the men talking their gobbledegook she glanced towards the window enjoying the view of town square and the changing of color the town seemed to be going through, she loved autumn probably more than summer, "No." she thought again, she was a summer child through and through.

She looked at the gazebo centered in the town square and gave a small half smile remembering her first date with the man who had gone all out to win her heart. Her eyes widened as she looked through the wooden structure towards the other side of the street and before Clay could ask what she saw, she was gone.

::

"Fucking bird!" she had thrown her flip flop directly at her stalker that remained stationed on the top of a low hanging branch. Where one shoe missed the other had been successful, sort of. She didn't hit it but she hit the branch it was perched on causing it squawk down at her. "Shoe go away!" she yelled at it only to have it squawk back down from his perch. "Oh no you don't." she looked from something else to through settling on a hand full of stones she quickly collected. Now it's not every day you witness a woman and a bird verbally fighting each other, it's also not every day you watch a woman completely lack the ability to throw a stone at a stationary object.

"Summer." Clay slowly approached giving a "get out of here" look to those who had stopped to watch the afternoon entertainment. "What are you doing?" He said each word slowly and almost condescendingly.

"This fucking bird." This stone missed completely and appeared lost the sun light. "Has been following me ever since Sack died."

"I'm sure it's all in your…" the crash of glass stopped him from talking and he turned his head to see where the rock hand landed.

"Seriously Summer!" Another voice spoke, an angry voice, a familiar voice, a voice of the new Chief of Police standing outside his broken office window.

::

After paying for the damages which he really didn't need to do her father left her with the man she technically belong to after giving her a kiss on the forehead, which she didn't flinch or pull away from, progress.

He sat back in his same office chair behind his same desk, in his new office with a piece of plywood in exchange for a window.

"It really was an accident." She stood refusing to give him the satisfaction of taking the chair he offered.

"Summer this is getting." But she turned away from him and leaned her backside against his desk, mostly though she wanted to take in the view of the office that he had picked over her, k that wasn't fair but sue me she is stubborn. "I like what you have done with the place." Of course she was taking about the pictures on his desk the ones that, like a child, she knocked over with a flick of her finger as she stood up to explore.

With a hidden smirk he lifted the frames, 3 to be exact, one of him and his wife on their wedding day dancing to who knows what song when the picture was taken after he had just said something to cause her to laugh one of those throw your head back laugh. Another was one of them at their first Mariners game after she forced him to take the shot on his phone because he had longer arms then she did, it was the look on her face that made him print the photo the day after he took it, a smile that spread across the length of her face she seemed perfectly content tucked under his arm and with her eyes turned towards him she gave him a look of total trust. And lastly them on their short cabin adventure that someone probably Gemma had taken of the two in the lake her arms around his neck and her held up slightly higher both looking at each other caught in a private moment that only those two would ever remember. David's eyes linger on that one for a second as he looked at the look of longing on her face as she looked down at him looking up at her both surrounded by water. After the pictures were replaced in their right position he leaned back in his chair raising a finger to his lips and watched her with a desire ill timed.

As if sensing his thoughts she looked back at him from across the room with a raised eye brow and a "not on your life buddy" grin.

His small grin told her he was up for the challenge while hers told him he could try.

And try he did as he slowly stood from behind the desk both hands placed forward so that as he rose she could see his corded muscles working underneath the rolled sleeves on his forearm. His gaze changed from man to lion watching a gazelle that looked way to delicious for its own good.

She inhaled under the weight of his stare and cursed herself as the small inhale exposed her weakness to him but that didn't mean she was giving in. Crossing an arm just under her chest and against the yellow tunic dress she popped up her boobs well the other hand brushed a few strands of curls away from her collar bone.

His eyes flashed with hunger as he watched her.

"Anyways." She gave him an innocent grin. "I'm off to Wal-Mart. Would you care to join me."

She had turned to open the door and closed her eyes when she felt him advance behind her. She could feel the heat from his body as both hand instantly appeared beside her head holding the door closed, pinning her to it in the process.

"Yeah actually I think I will _come" _he drew out the last word. "With you." He spoke into her the back of her head inhaling her smells of cinnamon and arousal.

"Lovely." She turned her body to face him instantly turn on by the view of him leaning forward his strong arms on her sides refusing to move and refusing to let her move.

His kiss fell on her mouth heavy and hard apply enough pressure that it should of hurt but it was to missed that she couldn't feel the pain in it, instead she moaned into the kiss and prayed it would never stop.

The fact that she returned the kiss didn't mean that all was forgiven no it actually fueled her fire, she had an overwhelming sense to prove that she was not nothing to this man, she had a hunger of her own that she had never felt before, there was a heat spreading from her belly working its way down to the tips of her toes and fingers that felt literally like it was burning her from the inside out. Her head fell backwards as his lips left hers and found the soft skin of her throat, what could be described as a growl escaped her mouth causing David to momentarily look up at the blonde who had begun to what seemed like sweat. With another moan her head came back and she looked down at him with her bottom lip between her teeth and fire that burned in her eyes.

Before he could make a move she made hers replacing his stance and using an insane amount of strength to hold him against the office door. Her hand had no patients for buttons as she ripped open his shirt popping each and every one of the pearly whites around his office, as soon as his skin was exposed her mouth went to work well her fingers removed the material from his body in one quick movement. David knew instantly what was happening, she was taking her aggression out on him, she was claiming him, and he would sit back and enjoy the ride.

::

"What are you drawing?" Ava glanced up at the man who had been standing behind her blocking the mid day sun for the last 3 minutes. When he spoke, he probably expected to scare her but come on he didn't really hid the fact that he was there.

She held up the page of her sketch book over her shoulder for him to see.

"A bird?" the bald biker asked in a tone that showed his confusion.

"Oh goody it's oblivious." She returned the book to her lap and continued to sketch using the charcoal that was sticking out from the grass.

"That's one fucking scary bird." She watched the man sit clearly oblivious to his non invitation to join. He lit a smoke which he offered to her which she didn't accept. "That your muse?" He nodded to the bird perched in the same tree as it had been earlier, as it had been all week.

"Yup." She popped her P when she spoke suddenly not interested in drawing anymore. After a few seconds of staring at him while he pretends not to notice silence she finally asked. "What the fuck do you want?" He looked back at her with a smile nodding towards her sketch book.

"Consulting with a fellow artist." Happy reached for the book which she pulled away defensively. With a rather O shaped expression he reached again. "Secrets in your drawings?"

"No." she hugged the book closed against her chest. "Just not for your eyes."

"Mine in general."

She cut her eyes at the man she barely knew before standing up, suddenly the park occupied by two became a little too crowded for her liking.

"Oh come on don't leave." He stood up sensing her not so light hearted attitude towards his.

She didn't stop pulling her messenger bag over her chest and stuffing her art supplies deep inside and definitely didn't stop as she turned hand headed away from the bald heavy tattoo biker before he was able to play catch up she had cleared half of the park.

"Oh come on kitten." She blinked once and suddenly she wasn't a 25 year old woman, she was a 5 year laying in a frilly white bed complete with canopy. Her father laying next to her above the blankets in a suit reading from a book she had long forgotten about. The words a mass of rhymes and riddles but his tongue didn't get caught up on one and she watched him so proudly. "Good to sleep kitten." He glanced down at her. "The sun is waiting for you to sleep so that it can greet you in the morning." He kissed her forehead as her eyes began to close. "Go to sleep kitten." His voice seemed distant no louder than a whisper.

The next time she blinked again she was back in her adult body. "Don't call me that." She spun around so quickly he almost fell back with the momentum in her movement. His hands went up in front of his chest hoping to give her a sense of safety.

"No kitten got it." He promised. "Sunshine?" he smirked at the name that could be a total opposite to the woman in front of him.

"Ava. You may only call me Ava." No that she was turned to him she was giving him a chance to talk, quickly, about what he wanted.

"I just really actually wanted to talk to you about this piece David wants. Sack told me that you did all of Summer's art and I just wanted to get some advice from a really great artist." He nodded towards the book. "Really."

She sighed looking down at one of her most prized possessions wondering what he would find within it that would help him make something for someone else but… "What are your ideas?" She did love art and she loved the chance to speak it with a fellow enthusiast.

::

Her hips trusted forward moving in a rhythm that had his heart pounding out of his chest, spread out atop his desk he prayed that his staff had vacated the building. He was able to hold on much longer and kept his eyes from her naked body, which currently was arched back; knowing the second he looked at it was the second he let pleasure take of her and exploded within her.

"Look at me." She demanded grabbing his jaw with her tiny hands firmly holding him in place. He took a deep breath before he open his eyes which instantly locked on hers. He was right and the minute his peripheral view saw her body in motion he exploded in a roar that filled and echoed through every available space in his office. She rode out his release and then her own as she arched herself back resting herself on his bent knees which currently her nails dug crescent moon shapes into. Everything throbbed in a good way as her eyes shut to a colorful display of fireworks her body produced on the back of her lids. Her insides seemed to squeeze him in place refusing to let him pull out from the space that he fit so well, mind you stretched to fit, but fit none the less.

His abs pulled him to sitting position and she found another wave of heat fill her core when she watched them flex underneath her.

"So I'm forgiven?" he asked pushed a sweat coated strand of hair off of her forehead.

She put a hand on his cheek and with a smile she shook her head.

"Summer." His hopeful look fell.

"But." She continued. "I'll get over it."

"I'm sorry for what I said." He continued to push hair away from her face. "I never meant that you were nothing to me."

"Baby obviously I know that." She tried to play it off, it didn't work.

"You are my world Summer." He was still serious. "I am so sorry that my words hurt you."

She nodded accepting the apology.

After a few seconds of silence she gave him look. "I was serious about Wal-Mart."

::

The magic of Wal-Mart and David's patients had their house looking like it was out of a child's imagination, an imagination of horror mawahahahaha…

Summer stood back admiring her work proud of all she had done in such sort time. The traffic on their street seemed to increase in the short amount of time as everyone and their neighbor seemed to drive by to see the house of their police Chief and his beautiful (Summer's words) wife. Grave yard and pumpkin patch complete with one scary ass scarecrow and all.

He joined his wife on the side walk and waved to a few of the neighbors that had walked up to praise them (her) on all their hard work.

Summer ignored the conversation and debated with herself on if she needed more zombie lawn spikes coming out of the grave yard she had constructed in the right half of the yard. And then it hit her like a zombie hand to the face, spider webs.

"Mommy look at that big bird." A child from behind her spoke. Summer slowly turned back looking passed her husband in easy conversation with the neighbors he tried so hard to avoid, past the little girl pointing at the black feathered demon. to bird sitting on its new perch with what she believed to be a grin on its beak. She glanced back at her so called "scary ass scarecrow" and frowned, "needs more blood." She said with a nod.

::

Hope you like the new chapter … I should pre warn you the next chapter is Sack's wake.

Enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Opie had done the domestic thing and stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few requested items from Lyla's list. Funny he lost the point where this new relationship went from a complication to just normal. He didn't even remember the moment when the transition happened and now thinking back as he stood in the line for the till basket in hand he couldn't remember when it didn't feel normal. He patiently waited for his turn to pay and possibly instill fear in the bag boy when the most un normal person he had the pleasure of knowing walked in. Ava next to the man who put fear even in him entered the store.

"Funny" he thought to himself. "He hadn't heard a bike."

Now Opie stood out like a sore thumb in the middle of the grocery store but they hadn't yet noticed him which was another funny point to him. Normally another brother would drift towards another like a boat to a rocky shore.

He stood in the line head twisting almost completely around on his neck as he watched them head towards the produce department deep in conversation. Whatever they spoke of they both seemed relaxed and in their element. He even noticed that Ava normally the quiet one did most of the talking and Happy normally the silent one did all of the listening, but he actually seemed to be listening.

"Sir?" The squeak of a teenage bag boy forced him out of his stake out position in line. "I can scan your items now." The boys voice continued to squeak and crack as Opie turned back to the worker no older than 16.

"Paper double bagged." He growled at the boy and gave a satisfied smile when the worker nearly jumped clean out of his skin.

::

"Next time I use glitter nail polish, remind me of this moment." With her knees pulled up to her chest she threw the last cotton ball from the bag onto the mount of white/teal glitter cotton taking up his coffee table. "I quit." David not really interested but sort of invested after hearing this for the last hour enough glanced down at the now silver glittered toes that she had been working on removing. "It's like super glued to my feet." The smell of nail polish remove had lost it scent within the last half hour and he prayed it wasn't because he was now high.

"Looks fine." He returned his eyes to the game on TV

"I'm literally gonna have to chip it off my toes."

"Well I got some tools in the garage if you need em."

She didn't answer him just turned her attention to picking off the nail polish with her thumb nail.

"David."

"mmhmm." He was sitting forward with his elbows rested on his knees.

"Maybe you could put the crib together."

Both people who had been watching and doing their own thing finally looked each other in the face.

"Uh Summer you planning on having that baby anytime soon?"

"No but maybe we could just set it up and…"

"I still plan on us leaving. I just want to find Abel first and a subtle replacement for me." The game was forgotten.

"David come on." She returned to chipping away at her big toe. "And after Abel what is the next thing that will keep us here?" She glanced up through her lashes towards him. "Besides is Charming really all that bad?"

"Uh." He wasn't sure if this was a trick question or not.

"Can you just put the crib together?" She smirked to her feet without looking up at him.

"Just put it on my to do list." He turned back to the game.

"Am I on your to do list?" she blushed keeping her eyes on the silver toes knowing he had turned back to look at her.

"I could squeeze you in." He reached out grabbing on to an ankle and yanked her foreward.

"Squeeze me in!" she gave good sarcasm as she allowed her body to be pulled to laying position.

He instantly covered her body with placing his hand on either side of her head and holding himself up, her hands ran up and down the lengths of his arms feeling his muscles in all their glory.

"I was also thinking maybe we should start lookin into churches."

"Need to confess some sins." His head dropped down so his lips could kiss the side of her neck just under her ear. He smiled when he felt her moan and continued using his lips as a means for pleasure.

"Baby." Her hands went to his chest but he assumed it was all play.

He continued his way down as she seemed to be pulling her way out meeting her breasts to his face. "Baby." She said again with a shaky breath.

The oven timer went off just as the door bell rung.

He looked up at her then towards the door.

"I may have invited Clay for dinner." He looked down at his wife. "And you're BBQing." She bit her lip to hold back a laugh.

::

The three sat in silence at the kitchen table nowhere near the size of Gemma's. Her cheeks still had a pinkish glow to them due to her "want" and almost "got" and David's hair was still tussled around. He glanced from his daughter to his son in law and then back at his daughter and stuck with his original assessment of what he had walked into the minute he walked into the nail polish stinking house. They were about to go at it and he interrupted them; well good score one for dad and none for the horney son in law.

"This is really good." He sat between them at the head of the table his daughter to his right his son in law to his left. The casserole on his fork which he held up so she knew what he was referring to.

Humiliation due to the awkwardness of situation she kept her eyes on her plate. "Thanks." She spoke quickly.

"So David, don't think I've had a chance to congratulate you yet." Clay side glanced his son in law who was nervously running a hand through his messy brown locks.

"Thanks." Right now all David could think about was clowns and dead puppies, anything to take pressure off of his still hard, hard on.

"They made a good choice in picking you son." Clay gave him a look that told both people he was serious. "Your folks must be real proud of you."

David glanced at Summer and wondered himself if his parents even knew, if they did they hadn't called to congratulate him yet. She gave a half smile and a quick wink that told him she would do more than congratulate him later, he hoped, no his dick hoped.

Watching the exchanged between the two had Clay clearing his throat stealing back the attention of his daughter.

"The house looks real good Summer you sure don't do anything half ass huh."

She shrugged but inside she was still smug with pride. The house wasn't just good it was a sight to behold and technically no one had seen it at its full glory just yet, wait till Halloween, and wait till she forced Ava in the zombie costume, wait until she forced David to dress in his grave robber costume, wait until she dressed herself in her voodoo priestess costume, MAWAHAHAHAHAHAH! Her smug thoughts caused a smug smile to form on her face as she stared into her macaroni and cheese casserole.

"Something on your mind?" Clay asked making her look up from her plate to two set of eyes wondering what was going on it that blonde head of hers.

She shook her head quickly and opened her mouth to speak but decided to close it again.

He too opened his mouth to speak but found he wasn't able to continue when his prepaid rung. He glanced at her silently asking if she minded that he was about to leave to take the call and she just nodded her head giving him the approval he waited for.

"Yeah?" He spoke into the phone and he walked out the back patio door.

"Thanks for the warning." David sat forward with a hiss even though he had no bite behind it.

She only smiled and sat back in her chair take the fork in her hand and placing it between her teeth pulling a little extra to slow on it as the noodles on the prongs slide off into her mouth. She made sure to suck on the silverware once it was past her teeth causing her husband to begin to sweat.

"I'm going to have to punish you for that." He's face became dead serious as he continued to lean against the table.

"Is that a promise?" she batted her eyes lashes and kept her voice to a whisper with a sickly sweet tone mixed in.

"I will promise that you will not be walking straight when I am through with you." He cut his eyes as a truly sinister smile graced his handsome face.

Once again she did the old fork trick and watched the agonizing expression on his face, her husband was definitely dealing with a horrible case of blue balls.

::

"Gemma please say you didn't do it to hurt me. Please promise me that you had your reasons for keeping her away from me." He sat on the patio chair furthest from the house.

He heard his wife sigh which meant she was stuck in a corner. "Clay."

"God dammit Gemma."

"Clay how the hell could I tell you? She made me promise."

"It wasn't your decision Clay."

"Your life was in Charming with me and with Jax." In all the years knowing his wife he had never heard her so panicked before. "I was scared." Another first for them, her admitting she was afraid of something.

"I can't just forgive you for this Gem. Because of you I missed out on raising a child."

"You didn't miss out on being a father, you had Jax."

"I missed out on raising my flesh and blood."

The other end was silent as Clay leaned forward elbows resting on his knees.

"I gotta go Gem."

"Alright."

"I will call you tomorrow." He continued to stare at the ground.

"I love you." Her voice was small.

"Yeah I know." He hung up without returning the feeling.

So that seemed to be her story that she was sticking too, a promise between women that Gemma wouldn't tell Nora's secret and Nora would return to a life she was being to despise. For Gemma's sack Clay prayed she was telling the truth. For Gemma's sack Gemma prayed Clay would believe what she told him in place of the truth.

::

It was night when Ava finally returned home, with a tag along. A bag of baby carrots in her hand and a man to her side she stood in front of the house chopping away on the tiny orange vegetables as they stared silently, well minus the crunch between her teeth they were silent.

"What's Christmas gonna be like?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Hope your electrical rates are good." She bit another carrot between her front teeth making a smile inspiring crunch.

"You could share." Happy stood at her shoulders staring at the same scene as the woman his fingers reaching for the bag.

"And you could have bought your own." The both seemed to tilt their head to the left as they noticed the scarecrow with an insane amount of blood pumping from all of its main arteries.

"So she is planning on sending the children in this town into therapy?"

"She is the reason why no kid is able to sleep without a night light back home."

A smile quickly formed on Happy's face.

Their heads tilted to the right as the front door opened and the party of three walked outside.

"Evening." Clay acknowledged his brother first and then the woman giving her a look that asked the question on if her loyalties really were towards his fallen brother, they were.

Once the hellos/goodbyes/thanks for dinner/do this later, were all said Clay left the group on the curb and headed towards his bike looking for a second Harley but finding none.

He gave the young coupling another look before he headed off into the darkness.

"So." Summer turned around giving a sway of her hips to both sides starting herself into a dance off next to the people admiring her work and didn't stop they swaying until she was directly between them. "What do you think?" Happy and Ava both glanced at the woman now standing in the middle.

"Well it's better than the ventriloquist museum." Ava leaned back informing Happy that that would be the one that caused the town to spend many many many of nights awake in fully light up houses.

A squawk behind them had all four turning their heads to the big black bird taking up half the branch on the neighbor across the street's tree. Summers head turned towards Ava very slowly with wide eyes.

"David." She whispered.

"Yeah babe."

"Go get me your gun."

::

"Seriously is this even in English." He held the instructions in front of him, and then flipped them upside down wondering if that would make the difference, it didn't.

"Give it here." With a gruff sigh Happy took the instruction book, not pamphlet but book and started on page one. "I don't understand why we are even putting this together if you are leaving soon."

David took a pull from his beer which he nearly choked on when he quickly realized that Happy had no idea he was staying. Of course Happy did know he just wanted to hear it from straight from the man's mouth.

"I uh took Chief. Gonna be staying till Abel is found."

"And if he isn't."

"He is." David gave him a look wondering exactly what the man knew that David didn't. "What aren't you tell me."

"Nothing." Happy looked back at the paper in his hand. "That shit has to screw into that shit." He pointed at screw A to hole A1, the worst part would be for these two incredibly smart and talented (in different ways) men when the task was completed it would be painfully obvious this crib was extremely straight forward and easy to put together.

"Well if Abel for whatever reason isn't found then I don't know I guess it depends."

"Well unless you are having this baby tomorrow I don't see why we need to set this shit up now."

David took another sip of his beer and then began to assemble screw A to hole A1. "I think she just wants to give of the impression she is okay with staying. Maybe she is trying to convince herself of that." He shrugged and did the next step as Happy continued read.

"What would it depend on?"

"What would what depend on?"

"What would be your reason for leaving?"

David stopped what he was doing and looked at the man. "Well I guess if she was dead set in leaving."

"So you would just give up everything and follow your bitc.. your woman?"

David smirked and nodded his thanks for not referring to his wife as a bitch. "Yeah. I mean that what you do. She would do it for me if the roles were reversed."

"Would she?" Happy looked back down at the book.

"Yeah." David was only half convinced of his answer at first but after he thought about it he was more than she that Summer would follow him where ever he asked her to go, he hoped.

::

"Lay down." Summer stood in the door way watching Ava watch tv while sitting on the floor her back resting against the base of the couch.

"Say please?" She crunched a carrot like a rabbit once again between her front teeth and grimaced. "God grocery carrots are so not the same."

Summer was too busy preparing her tools she would use to tackle the brow on Ava's face.

"Finally!" Ava proclaimed and laid back onto the ground pulling the beanie off of her head. "Thought I would actually have to pay to get this taken care of."

"You should." Summer kneeled beside her head. "Actually come to think of it."

"Please." Ava turned her head to the side and watched whatever latest reality show she was hooked on, this one was a bunch of housewives complaining about having too much money and not even time for a little R&R. "Now that you live in Cali you could totally be on this show." Ava smiled back at her. "Course your boobs aren't big enough."

Summer flushed. "Can we concentrate please." Ava closed her eyes well her face, faced the ceiling. "Have you seen these suckers lately I actually need a new bra they are getting so big." Summer added. "David ain't complaining either." She mumbled before she started working.

"Please I would like to keep my dinner of carrots in my stomach." But even Ava couldn't keep from smiling. "Do you think they will stay this size after the baby?" She flinched as a stubborn hair finally came out.

"I hope so." Summer's worked fast but precisely. "They are gonna get a lot bigger though and think about how massive they are gonna be when I'm pumped full of milk. I'm gonna be like a fucking…" she thought for a second. "Like a B cup." Of course she was joking, it would be more like a C.

Ava laughed, Summer laugh, David and Happy cleared their throats simultaneously. As if their conversation shouldn't matter Summer looked towards her husband and his friend.

"All done baby?" she gave him a quick smile then returned back to the brow.

"What are you doing?" Happy answered for him.

"To achieve great beauty you must embark on long hard maintenance." Summer spoke as she returned to work.

"I'm not a fucking car." Ava 5 stared Summer's bare thigh making the blonde yelp in surprise.

Happy took a step into the room and watched as what appeared to be a cat's cradle string game plucked out the hair of the woman's eye brow.

"That is the most fucked up thing I've ever seen." Happy now stood over the girls staring down at the face of the woman he spent the better part of the day with. "Does it hurt?"

::

After her brows were finally sculpted and perfectly matching Ava retreated towards her room without so much as a "screw yourself" to the man she had no interest in conversing with any longer. Happy however after watching the chocolate hair woman leave, decided to stay for a little longer enjoying a reheat plate of left over's and beer with his brofriend. Of course the thing that should have been addressed but wasn't was the fact that Happy stared long and hard at Ava as she headed away from the living room once again without a "fuck yourself"

More troubling to Summer was not the way she watched Happy remove her friend's clothing with her eyes, no something much more serious, much more out of character had happened. Ava the girl who in a dark and smoke filled room with a blindfold on could still tell you where she was the desire to some man, and now she hadn't even noticed the eye fucking she was receiving, or she had and didn't act upon it. Ava the girl who sang a siren song just by breathing seemed oblivious or uncaring to the effect she was having on the bald biker, Ava the walking poster board for one night stands had for the first time in Summer's knowledge had just rejected someone.

Summer glanced between the empty space her friend left behind and the biker who was speaking baseball with her husband. "What the fuck is going on?" she asked the planet she believed to be earth.

::

Ava was admiring Summer's work when the woman herself knocked on the door.

"Hey." Summer stood in the doorway.

"Hey yourself hot stuff." Ava returned to looking at her brows. "You out did yourself woman."

Summer just gave her a side smile as she cross her arms in the doorway. "Is something going on that I should know about?"

Ava stood up straight and looked at her with a quizzical smile. "Something going on that you should know about?" she repeated the question and thought for a second. "Yes you idiot the love of my life just died and right now I am trying with every inch of my being to keep it together." Her brain screamed. Now instead of saying what she was thinking Ava just shook her head. "Nah nothing is going on." She tilted her head to the side as she always did when she was trying to act naïve. "Why?"

Summer walked into the room. "Just a feeling." She by passed her friend and sat on the end of the bed. "Ava I just can't shake it that something is going on with you and you aren't tell me."

"I tell you everything." She tried to act surprised or at least innocent of hiding a secret.

"I know I just." Summer stared long and hard at the woman she would be able to describe in her sleep. "I'm sorry if I have been absent or…"

Ava stopped her before she took the blame on a problem that wasn't hers. "Summer there is nothing wrong and I promise if there was you would be the first to know because I would tell you the moment it happened. Nothing is wrong." She gave her normal smile only it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I promise I would drop my problems on you like a bomb."

Summer smiled praying she was hearing the truth, knowing she wasn't, but she knew Ava and knew the woman would come to her only if and when she was ready. She had to do what she always did, wait out the storm and stand on the other side with an open umbrella.

"Happy was checking you out by the way." Summer stood from the bed and headed towards the door.

"That'll never happen." Ava told her as she shut the door to her room after her friend left.

::

By the time Happy had left and David had a chance to clean up, a crib was assembled, a house was silent and his wife had long since fallen asleep. He stood in the doorway watching her small frame slowly rise and fall beneath the covers of their bed. Entering the room and shutting the door behind him. He undressed then and layed next to her in their bed pulling her sleeping body against his so that the warm from her would be enough to reheat his naked skin. There would be many of nights to act upon the threat he had made earlier today so tonight was just this, he would hold her as she slept, and let his own body relax into a dreamless sleep with his wife in his arms and his hand resting on his growing baby.

::

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Ava watched her friend in the mirror ask the question that they both knew the answer to.

"Nah I think I'll sit this dance out." Nervously Ava shuffled from one biker boot to the other. "You know how I feel about funerals." She watched Summer stare at her through the mirror as she finished straightening her hair.

"Well if you change your mind." Summer gave a half hoping smile.

"I won't." Ava decided to not draw any more attention to her nerves and decided to lean against the door frame rather than sway awkwardly.

Summer ran some product through the soft as silk locks that hung to the tops of her shoulder blades and turned to face her friend, the hem of her charcoal dress twisting its silk fabric between her legs.

"Well will you be here when I get back?"

"Got nothing else going on." Ava actually did, there were some memories burning in her brain she needed to sketch before they disappeared forever, i.e. Sack's sleeping face, sleeping not dead face.

"Alright then if there is no way I can convince you."

"You can't" Ava smiled and pushed the hair off of Summer's shoulder exposing the thin straps of her empire waste dress. "I'll see you when you get back." Ava locked eyes with her for a second giving her a look that cried sadness, it only lasted for a nano second but it was long enough that Summer noticed.

"Ava." Summer started but a shake of chocolate hair made her stop.

"I'll see you when you get back." Ava leaned forward placing her lips on Summer's cheek. "Maybe bring me back something to eat so I don't starve to.." She stopped herself. "Just bring me back something sweet."

Summer nodded as her friend left her standing in the bed room, confused, frustrated, and worried.

::

Sitting on the bed Ava placed her sketch pad against her knees that she hoisted up to make an easel. Her finger's had been inching to draw since the moment she heard the front door shut but actually getting them to work was harder than trying to get Summer to shut up, the comparison she had just made, made her smile.

Of course Ava's mind had been not on the sleeping muse she was focusing on but the dead muse she had bid her farewell to this morning.

"_Hey kiddo heard you were looking for me."_

_Ava jumped at the deep voice that had boomed behind her with no warning._

"_Piney" not one to get scared she held a hand to her heart feeling the effects of the shock run through her body. "You scared the shit out of me."_

_He put his hands up and gave a smile letting her know it was purely on accident._

"_So kiddo what can I do for you?" _

_After her blood pressure returned to a normal rate she looked around making sure no one would hear their private conversation. "I was hoping you would be able to put something in Sack's coffin." Her eyes had been on toes of her boots as she spoke. _

"_Sure." Piney answered. "Course I am heading up today to finalize something you could join me if you want."_

_Ava glanced up quickly at the man who looked around pretending not to notice the way she looked up and then back down all within a blink._

"_Uh I don't know."_

"_Suit yourself." He began to walk away from the girl in the direction of the tow truck. _

"_Wait I didn't give." But he was already inside letting her know that if she had something to give him she would have to follow, she did. _

_Climbing into the passenger seat Piney smiled to himself as they drove in silence to the funeral home in the company of a very not impressed woman._

::

Summer sat in the office of her husband drumming her fingers on the wood of his desk in what he could only describe as a Mores Code pattern that or her heart beat. When it finally became too much for him bare and is concentration slipped he stopped typing to look at her.

"Are you okay?"

She continued to strum as she looked around his office. "I have never been to a funeral like this before." She avoided looking at him. "Every one I have been too has been a celebration of the person who had passed life. This is just…" she stopped talking to wipe away a tear that began for form. "Sad." She finished keeping her eyes away from his.

"Hey." His voice was soft as he stood up and came around the desk to where she sat knelling down in front of her so that he could force her to look at him and only him. He watched as she chewed on the inside of her cheek and fought hard to keep her eyes staring behind him at his diploma from the police academy. "This is just one night for you to say your good bye to the body of Kip, this doesn't determine the way that you remember him." Now David didn't know the boy on a level that he knew the other men of the club, he had only come to know Sack as the baby sitter to his wife, but even then their few a far meetings had been pleasant and the conversation was easy between the men. He was sad when anyone died in his town; he was horrified about the situations of the young man's death and hated the fact that he had survived so much in his young time and only to be killed on a kitchen floor. He put a hand to her cheek which caused her to momentary melt into it as her heavy and red rimmed eyes closed.

"Can't you just come in with me?" Her voice was soft as she tried so hard not to sound whiney or as if she was begging.

"Baby." Sure he was on talking terms with the president, sure his best friend was a psycho killer for the club (he assumed), sure his brother in law was the VP, but he was still a cop and even he knew that the badge on his chest was still a problem between his married life and his career life. "I'll be waiting for you outside."

"Honestly David I don't even understand why the police need to be there."

"You will realize soon enough that this club has more to do with the tones vibe then the people living in Charming. When Samcro is vulnerable folks around here get nervous."

"So why do you need to be there and not with me." He heard the underline comment, "why are you choosing your job over me." They looked at each other for a second his eyes full of regret and hers full of sadness, it was her that broke first with a shake of her head and a small smile that seemed to say "I'm sorry for being ridiculous."

"Come on baby." She took both his hands and kissed his knuckles. "Feed me and let's get this evening over with.

He pushed himself to standing by using her knees as support to stand.

"Maybe instead of changing Clay's diet I should change yours." She stood with a smile reaching out her hand for him to take.

"You trying to tell me I'm out of shape."

"Maybe." She led him to the door. "Or maybe I just kind of need to keep you around for a while."

"A while." He laughed as he turned off the lights and shut the door to his office.

::

For everything that had just happened tonight none of it seemed important now as life appeared to come to a stop for Clay Morrow. How could something that was already horrible become even worse. He stood in the middle of the chaos of gun fire and screams trying to find which of his children needed him more. The choice was made for him when he heard his daughter scream the name of her husband in a volume that seemed to pierce his ear drums, as well as the people within a 10 mile radius of her. He watched as she threw her hands forward as if to push the man across the street out of the path of the oncoming vehicle, her force alone must have worked because the man was thrown back as the vehicle swerved by. He saw the "cause" of his son in law's motion and thanked his lucky stars that Happy was surprisingly a quick man. He saw the relief on his daughter's face as she pulled herself up from the ground she had been thrown full frontal on and begin to run over shell casings and blood to the other side of the road, and then he saw her jump, her hold body jolted to a halt as one last bullet erupted through the night entering through the back of the khaki officer. Her hands flew to her mouth as if shook made them cover her soon to be loud scream; he saw the wide eyes of disbelief of the officer as he looked to the chest that still remained clean of blood then back up at the biker who was holding his shoulders with strong tattooed hands. He saw the officer say something to the biker and a mist of red come from his mouth and land on the biker's face, and then he saw the officer fall to his knees, the life gone from his body. The moment the officer's knees hit the ground was the moment his daughter's knees hit the ground in a lifeless thud he for a second forgot who was shot and who wasn't, it was also then that he saw the trail of bright red trail begin its path down the inside of his daughter's legs.

::

Hope you enjoy.. I honestly feel sick..

Kendra.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Opie paced the lengths of the waiting room drawing no more attention to himself than an elephant would as it walking down the middle of the sunset strip.

"Will you quit that you're making me nervous." Chibs leaned back in his chair the preverbal picture of calm, on the outside that is.

Had Chibs been talking to him? He didn't know, he actually didn't know much of anything at the moment, sounds all blended into one noise that was a combination of screams, gun shots, and machine beeps from heart monitoring machines. He had been here before in this place of horror but only now he stood on the outside and watched in as someone else's life began the quick descend into hell. Oh but this time there was the guilt he felt, had it been his fault for the possible loss of her baby? Had he single handily aborted a baby when he threw the blonde to the ground and covered her body with his the moment the bullets started flying? They had all seen the blood pooling at her feet and when word on her "condition" spread even a macho male biker knew that blood during pregnancy was bad.

Ava had been the last to arrive at the hospital running through the doors like a bat out of the very place Summer's life was heading. She must have been awaken with the news and teleported herself to this hospital because the lack of time it took her to arrive after receiving the call could only be described as "magic" she of course was just a fast runner.

She flew into the waiting room causing a gust of wind to carry her scent of panic and amber through the cramp space. "Where is she?" she barely stopped to ask and nodded when Happy pointed towards the ICU. Door or no door, guard or no guard, nothing was stopping Ava from getting to her friend's side.

::

Clay and Jax sat outside the doors to her room both of them staring ahead waiting for it to open with their backs against the wall and their knees bent up at an angle. The noise of Ava's heavy boots hitting the tile floor had both heads turning to watch her approach.

"What happened?" she stood at the door glancing in through the window as a group of doctors circled her friend still body.

No one answered.

"What happened?" She asked again in a tone that told them she wouldn't ask another time.

"I don't know." Jax looked at his hand which still remained covered in the blood of the one person he tried to seek vengeance from. He had no idea who the man he had spent a good 5 minutes smashing face to cement was but decided he would be the one to pay for the pain and loss of his sister.

"And the baby?" Ava continued to watch as the doctors quietly spoke amongst themselves.

Silence.

"And Maisy?" she asked in the same tone as before.

"Gone." Clay now answered. "They removed the remains just a couple of minutes ago. There is nothing left."

Ava closed her eyes and inhaled a deep shaky breath that kept her sobs down. This wasn't about her sorrow right now, this was about Summer's.

Tara had noticed the figure block the hallway light when it had moved in front of the door and quickly excused herself from the room drowning in heartbreak. Once outside and the door was shut behind her she felt like she was finally able to take a real breath. Jax instantly stood up to comfort her placing a blood caked hand on her own growing belly. Sad how when someone losses everything we realize how lucky we truly are. They just looked at each other supplying each other with much needed strength and support before she turned to address the family.

"We have her on some pretty heavy sedatives. She seems to understand what has happened but her body and brain are in serious shock due to…" she couldn't say the words. "Once the sedatives wear off we will need to go over all of our options for her."

"Options?" The only option for her in Clay's mind was to be at home with him where he could take care of her.

"I don't know if she can…"

"Let's just get through this and see what happens when the meds are out of her system." He had no idea how to handle the situation on the other side of the door and lashing out at the good doc seemed to be a great way.

Tara gave a sad smile and nodded. "She's out now if you want to go in and sit with her by all means go right ahead." Tara moved away from the door giving access to Summer's father.

It took Clay a couple of seconds to move before he was able to reach for the door knob; it took him a whole minute before he was able to open it.

"I should probably update the others." Jax leaned into Tara's ear.

Tara nodded holding onto her Jax for dear life.

"I'll update them later." Jax pulled Tara in for a hug supporting her shaking body with his strong frame. Being the only one without support Ava stepped up. "Tell me the details I'll pass it along."

::

Clay walked to the chair facing his daughter's sleeping face on auto pilot, he possibly for all he knew walked there with his eyes closed because as he sat in the chair, exhaled, and then allowed his eyes to come into focus his heart and body jumped, where he expected her sleeping child like face he saw cold lifeless grey eyes.

"Jesus." He breathed in and out to right his nerves and for a second thought that the body in front of was possibly dead, course when his hearing returned after the shock he heard her heart on the heart rate monitor and watched as her eyes occasionally blinked, he also noticed very quickly that she wasn't looking at him as she was through him. He glanced over his shoulder to the hospital white bare wall that had captured her attention.

"Summer." He leaned forward her eyes remained focused on whatever it was she was focused on. "I'm here baby girl. You hear me I am not leaving you for a second." His voice was even a surprise to him, he had no idea he could sound so gentle and sincere. He wondered if she had even heard him due to the fact she hadn't move, not even a flinch when his hand moved forward to stroke the skin on her cheek, which he momentarily pulled back to the freezing temperature she was releasing.

He pulled the chair and himself closer to the bed preparing his old body for a long night of sitting before he developed a soft routine of stroking her cheek, forehead, then back to cheek. Oh yeah Clay Morrow was officially in a situation he change by killing, lying or fucking.

::

Ava took a deep breath before she rounded the corner to men who seemed to be already expecting her. Happy was up first and at her side before she could reject it. With a side glance letting her know how much she would appreciate if he would step off she addressed the bikers who had cleared the waiting room out so she would be able to speak privately with them.

"The baby is gone." Ava squared her shoulders casting the illusion of strength. "She's heavily sedated now and will probably been for some time."

Ava watched Opie's head dropped along with his shoulders.

"Why did this happen?" Stepping way over the role of woman not involved in this club even stepping over the role of woman made a wife of this club she asked the question that no one had the answer too. "And more importantly what are you going to do to make it right?" Opie's glanced up locking eyes on her once she asked the question directed to him.

::

_She closed her eyes for a brief second inhaling the cool autumn air that whipped up her dress around her, the minute she stepped outside she smiled as a breeze blew past he and seemed to blow the stink of this evening off of her. She saw him across the street leaning against the jeep and blushed when she saw him perk up the second he noticed her. Her hand went up to wave to him well his with an exhale of relief in seeing her brushed the back of his hair. He had started to take a few steps towards her, only two more and he would be off the curb but she stopped him by raising a finger non verbally telling him that she would be right there, that there was something she needed to do first. _

_Her family stood off to the side and by family she really was referring to club, they hugged, they joked, they embraced the closeness of one another. Taking her place on the other side of her father she hugged the members who had travelled the distance to say good bye to a brother most had never met. Clay glanced down at his daughter and took a minute to have a good hard look at the woman. He preferred her hair wild and curly over straight and controlled, her dress was to tight for his liking but of course he would say the same about sweat pants and a hoodie, and then there was the smile that she used to great each man, a smile that was pure and innocent , a smile that she had unintentionally used to wrap him around her little finger. She glanced up at him catching him in the act of staring at her and gave him a wider not forced smile before returning back to the man who was busy holding her hand introducing himself as something she had already forgotten. Her father was proud of her at this moment, she knew it, he knew it, hell even Jax knew it. _

"_Well Clay." When her duties were over she turned to the man placing a hand on his strong bicep. "Come on now give me a hug." He had pulled her in tightly inhaling her sweet scent hugging her as though it would be his last time. _

"_I'll see you tomorrow. Bright and early and don't try to dump the oatmeal like this morning, I have back up." She had taken a step towards her husband while still facing her father when something stopped her. A squawk that Clay barely could hear caused her to whip her head around towards the man now mid street. Another squawk had her looking past her husband towards the crow perched on the power line directly above his jeep. Another squawk and a vehicle barreled towards him spraying the crowd around her with bullets. _

_She hadn't even realized she had fallen until the wave of cramping spread up and down from the middle of her belly. She instantly looked open with enough time to warn her husband to watch out and threw all that she had into her hands praying they would stretch out to push him back to safety. The cramping became worse with each heart beat and breath, but her husband was safe. Whoever was on her had vanish and she threw herself up into the air and practically ran, but no matter how fast she ran it felt as though she was running through Molasses, she would never reach him in time._

_Squawk _

_The single bullet was the only sound that she heard after the loud squawk. She saw the way his body jerked forwards, she saw the look on his face when it didn't exit his body, she saw the look on his face when he realized what that none exit wound meant. She saw the moment life left him. _

_Squawk. _

Clay who had been sitting forward stroking her skin for the last few hours wiped away a single tear that leaked from the corner of her left eye and rolled over the bridge of her nose.

::

"I knew I should have come back!" Gemma was busy throwing the little belongings that Tigs had brought to her back into the back pack with the phone tucked under her chin. "If you honestly think that I am not coming home now."

Clay had been silent for a good 30 minutes after he had filled his wife in on the event of the evening, still leaving out the tiny but huge fact that Abel had been abducted. Oh yes this was supposed to be a secret something that they would be able to handle in the time she was in hiding but now it was just another burden on his shoulders, another conversation that needed to be had during an already stressful time. Oh yeah this was going to be a great fucking night. How the hell could he tell her that Abel had been kidnapped by the man of the son she supposedly killed? For a second, just a second he thought of clearing his plate and dropping the Abel bomb on her but figured she had probably had more than enough for one night.

"She needs me Clay, she needs her mother." He didn't correct her to the fact that she wasn't technically Summer's mom nor was she Summer's favorite person right now. "How could this happen Clay!" he finally heard her stop moving and knew she would have worked herself up and needed to sit. "Can you handle this until I get there?"

He still remained silent.

"Clay?" Gemma's tone was softer more concerned.

"It's like she is dead Gem. She is just staring at the wall with this look on her face." Clay slouched forward in the chair to look at the daughter who was oblivious to his presence.

"He's really gone?" Of course Gemma knew the facts on David's death; she just prayed that they had all been wrong.

"Yeah he was gone before he hit the ground. The bullet had ripped a path through his lung to his heart."

He could feel his stomach begin to retch as he remembered the moment he watched the man fall to his knees.

"What do I do Gemma?" He took a shaky breath. "How do I fix this for her?"

Now it was her turn to be silent.

"I'm on my way baby." She finally said after the silence drew on for too long. "I'm on my way and kiss my boys for me."

::

Ava finally got the reason behind the stares she was receiving as she sat outside a little after 2:00 am smoking (more so cough) a cigarette. The chilled air wrapped itself around her knitted knee highs that were stuffed into her untied boots that seemed to be a size to big for her feet. The same brown wool that made her socks made the over sized wool sweater she clung to for warmth and under that a pair of jogging shorts that fit her like a second skin. She looked like she was swimming in the clothes that all (minus the shorts) seemed to be a few sizes too big, but she was warm so really did it matter?

"You okay?" His voice was gruff as he approached this time she was prepared and didn't allow herself to jump.

"Please say that is your blood?" She allowed the bald man to pull the cigarette that she really shouldn't be smoking out from her fingers.

"Would it make a difference if it was?"

"What would it matter if it was your blood on your face? The fact that someone else's blood is oozing into your skin should be a cause for concern." Her tone was neutral almost a touch uncaring.

He shrugged not yet ready to wash off the evidence of the fact he had almost saved his friend's life, but failed.

"I pushed him out of the way." Happy sat on the bench pushing away her feet to make room. "I thought I saved him." Inhaling he leaned forward. "He looked at me with this stupid look of thanks when he figured out that I pushed him out of the way but then I heard the shot and I saw the look of surprise on his face when the bullet entered. We both looked at his chest expecting blood or something but there was nothing there. He looked back up at me like he knew he was going to die."

"If the bullet didn't come out why do you have his blood on you?"

"He has said something and as he spoke it came out like a mist."

She hugged herself for warmth.

"I held him as he died."

"What did he say?"

Happy flicked the finished cigarette and started another.

"He didn't say like a profound sentence or anything."

"What did he say?" She repeated herself, wondering if people just really had a hard time understand her.

Happy inhaled and turned his head to face the woman to strong for her own good.

"Summer."

Happy leaned back. "I haven't ever had a friend like him. I actually haven't really ever had a friend before."

Now it was her that leaned forward turning her head to look at him.

"I tried to save his life and I failed him."

"Shit." Ava sighed and tried her hand at comfort. "There There." She patted the bikers rough and callus hand.

"Really?" Happy looked from their hands then back up to her. "I'm opening myself up to you and you tell me there there?"

Rolling her eyes she sat back. "Okay let me think…" She took his hand in hers gingerly almost as if not really touching it at all. "David will always live on through our memories of him."

"Oh for fuck sakes I'm not a fucking pussy." He laughed pulling his hand back. "I'm just saying maybe a little fucking head would be nice."

She cut her eyes towards the bald man and stole back her cigarette.

"I think this bench just got a little too crowded, think it's time you go pound pavement."  
::

He had taken up watch as his step father stepped out to go over the return plan with Tigs. Gemma needed to be discreet about her arrival and just because she didn't want to listen to reason didn't mean that Tigs wouldn't.

Jax had sat in the chair his father sat in and continued stroking the smooth skin over her cheeks and forehead but he also went some further by pushed the blonde locks back away from her face and traced the lines of her eye brows. His thumb led the way over her skin that seemed to have instantly lost its sun kissed glow, course it could have also been her lack of a pregnancy glow.

"I got one of them Sum. I made sure that he suffered for what happened to David." He closed his eyes. "And Maisy."

She continued to stare ahead now only this time it was through her brother.

"Probably gonna be arrested but for now they let me off just so that I can be here with you. Death of a cop takes priority over the beating of a fucking shit head."

"I will finish him off though I promise you that."

Her eyes barely blinked and he wondered if she was even listening to him. His hand left her face and moved up to stroke the side of her head, he was amazing by the softness of her hair and wondered if she was able to feel the gentle strokes of his hand.

"I'm sorry that this happened Sum and I will never let anything happen to you again." His eyes searched hers for some sort of sign that she was there. "I promise you on my life Sum."

She remained the same even as her brother let a few tears fall.

"Please Summer just look at me!" His frustration was taking over as she continued to stare ahead. This all was becoming too much for Jax to handle, his son was gone, his sister was practically gone, his sanity was long gone, and his mother was coming back after being gone. When was it his turn to be gone?

::

It was Ava's turn up to bat and she was less gentle then the brother or the father. She forced herself into the hospital bed and laid directly in front of the woman. Clay watched from the door way as the woman forced herself to be in his daughter line of view but that didn't mean that she was actually seen.

He stood of to the side of the room whispering the details of the Queen's arrival when a tiny voice full of hurt spoke.

"Je suis mort sans eux." _- I'm dead without them._

Ava looked over her to Clay then back at the woman.

"Non, mon cœur qu'ils sont morts sans toi." – _No my heart they are dead without you._

For a second Summer's eyes focused on something other than a wall. She looked at her best friend's face for only a second but left Ava with a stomach clenching heart breaking amount of grief. Ava held onto the gaze taking in everything Summer needed to release. When Summer broke the look first and Ava let out a shaky breath. Summer returned to not speaking.

::

_They say a mother knows her baby's cry no matter where the mother or baby happens to be; maybe that's why Summer knew it was Maisy's cry before she could see the source of the crying. She inhaled a few times before she opened her eyes almost as though she had prolonged a blink and when she did open them she was blinded by sun light. She only knew it was light from the sun do to the warmth and tingle upon her bare skin. _

"_She misses you." Turning her head away from the sun she saw him approaching still wearing the same khaki uniform as the last time she saw him only difference this time was the pink bundle in his arms. "Been crying all morning for you." He stared lovingly into the bundle which he held tightly against his chest._

_Her hands shot forward as if to say "Gimme Gimme" but with every step forward that she took it appeared that he took one step back._

"_David." She stopped moving. "Is this real?" She looked around not able to make out much of the scenery due to the blinding sun light in her eyes, even when she covered her forehead the light just seemed to bright. She could barely make out his handsome face due to the flood of blinding light behind him, thankful her memories filled in the details that she couldn't quite see._

"_Of course it's real baby." He gave her a smile and appeared to be dying for her touch just as she was dying for his. _

"_I won't do this without you." A tear began to seep from her lashes._

"_Do what baby?" He closed his eyes as if reminding himself to be strong._

"_Live." She finished. Just as the look of heart break covered his face she felt herself being pulled away from him, their baby, this place. _

_The beeping of machines was back to being the only sound that filled her silence. _

::

"All of this for a patch over." Jax was seeing red when he had put two and two together. He needed to take out his anger again but was stopped when arms shot forward to hold his cocked and ready to punch arms back. "I'm fine." He reassured the men who reluctantly let go, they were right they should have held on as his fist flung forward with another bone crunching punch on the still unconscious man's face. "All this for a fucking patch." He spit down on the bed before leaving the room first, Opie followed next leaving the others to clean up their VPs mess.

"Feel better?" he asked as his VP pulled a smoke from under his baseball hat.

"Do I look any better?"

Opie of course gave him a quick once over. "Nah you still look like shit." He smirked making his VP smirk, the first time in almost a week.

"When is enough a enough." Jax's smile vanished. "When the fuck does whoever is up there say "You know what I think I've fucked with them enough for one day" huh?"

Opie remained silent.

"If I don't find Abel Ope what the fuck am I going to do, what the fuck do I tell that baby in Tara's belly when he asks about his older brother?"

"Jax we are going to find him."

"And then there is Summer what the fuck do I do about that? How the hell does she come back from this?"

"That's up to Summer. She is going to have to be the one to pull herself out of this shit."

"Like you did?"

Opie cut his eyes for a second to the VP wondering if that was a jab, they both knew Summer was a key force in making him associate with his children again.

"Summer will survive eventually."

Jax leaned against the wall and let his body slide down till his butt hit the ground. Opie didn't follow, he was more than comfortable with standing.

"How do you know she will survive this Ope? You barely made it out alive."

"But I made it out and so will she, she is a strong girl." He was trying too hard to keep it together to give the advice that he hoped was true, and if it wasn't then he would be there to pull her from the pits of hell just as she had done for him, oh yeah he was more than will in returning the favor.

"I just don't fucking believe it was all for a God Damn patch over."

::

Tara sat in the hospital room after she had forced the males out so she would be able to do her examination. She had sat in the chair in front of the blonde for a few minutes in silence while her own tears flowed at the loss of David, Maisy, Sack, Abel, possibly Summer, when the dull lifeless grey eyes slowly turned to face her.

"Hey." Tara leaned forward taking her hand.

"Jax didn't kill him."

Tara's eyebrows knitted in the middle of her face. "What?" Tara looked at the door when she heard the loud footsteps caused by biker boots.

"But I will." Summer's eyes moved back to the wall seconds before the father, the brother and the mother walked in.

::

Hope I still have you guys interested...

Kendra


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A horrible night turned into a horrible morning which brought back another horrible night. Turns were taken to check on the patient who remained in the same hopeless condition. Doctors debated whether or not to sedate as she seemed to have placed herself in her own self sedated state. And for the majority of the day when permitted the people who came to check in on the little Princess just watched as two women, one surprisingly silent and the other surprisingly talkative conversed. Gemma wearing a baseball cap and really fooling no one sat off to the side, ready to bolt if and when the door opened without the secret knock. She had arrived late in the evening following the events that had single handedly ruined her step daughter's life and had sat off to the side waiting for her moment to have a little alone time with girl, which would be in exactly 10 minutes do to Ava's prior engagement, for now though Ava hogged little of the woman's attention with whisper stories that had Gemma wanted to hear she could have with strained ears, she had and she did.

"So he called. Wanted to know if there was anything that you or I needed him to do back home." Ava laid on the bed in front of Summer pushing the beginning to become greasy strands of white away from a face that reminded Ava of a froufrou white dog. Now I'm not saying Summer has the face of a dog but what I mean is the eyes resembled what happens to all white dogs over time, brown tear stains. Summer still eyes wide open stared ahead with purple, blue and brown bags forming from the corner of her eyes to the underneath of her eyes, the rims of her eyes had developed the most inhuman shade of ruby red and the corners where her tears seemed to pool as if on their own without so much as an indication that she was crying had left almost similar stains to a white froufrou dog. "I told him we would be fine and he told me he would send a wire transfer just in case." Ava continued to push the strands away little consideration that maybe she was the cause to the greasy in Summer's hair. "Fathers" she sighed. "Gotta hate em. Well mine in any case." She knew Gemma was straining to hear her conversation and didn't plan on giving any more information into her Louisiana life.

Summer remained the same.

"And that thing I needed a dress for is tonight." Ava gave a small frown only due to the idea of wearing a dress. "Thankfully I will not be in it for long. Double thankfully I can get away with wearing my boot." Only stipulation when the two went dress shopping, it has to be floor length. "I would tell you where it is I'm going but I think I would rather you be more human less vegetable for that conversation."

That got a small reaction out of Summer as her eyes went from the wall to woman in front of her in a empty stare that did any zombie proud.

"S'il vous plaît été, ils vont vous garder ici plus longtemps à moins que vous prenez sur ce sujet." Whispered Ava leaving Gemma wishing she paid better attention in French class. – _Please Summer they will keep you here longer unless you snap out of this._

"Le ramener à moi alors"Summer voice was so quite even Ava had a hard time hearing it. – _Bring him back to me then._

"Summer"Ava whispered running a finger tip over one of her puffed eyes. "I'll be back later to check on you." Ava kissed her forehead then climbed down from the bed shaking her legs out for a minute so that the blood could begin flowing again.

"You off?" Gemma stood up dog earring a page she had read about 10 times in the last hour.

Ava nodded for once no smart remark. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Gemma just nodded her good bye and exhaled out a shaky breath into a room thick with tension. She had been warned to Summer's condition before returning to Charming and actually seeing the girl was nowhere near as bad as she had pictured, it was worse. The girl looked no better than a zombie that had not eaten a meal in weeks. The girl had lost the glow to her skin leaving it a washed out grey appose to a golden brown, even her hair had lost that shine that kept it on the boarder of white and blonde, but the thing that caused Gemma's skin to crawl, was the eyes. The blue drained from her eyes left an icy grey that she had seen a time or two when she had pushed far too many of her husband's buttons and maybe it wasn't just the color that ran Gemma's blood cold, maybe it was that those eyes never moved them off the fucking wall. Inside the Queen bee wanted to shake her step daughter's shoulders and force her to knock it off, where the mother what the pull her step daughter in a take the hurt and pain on as her own burden. Wiping her hands on the front of her jeans Gemma paced for a minute before she sat in the chair across from Summer blocking out whatever it was she was staring at. Her heart hitched for a minute when her eyes locked on with her step daughter, it was still unnerving to see her in such a state.

"Hey baby." Gemma leaned forward placing a hand on her daughter's cheek. Summer didn't move.  
"Baby I never ever meant to hurt you. I only did what I did to protect you." Summer didn't move. "Your mother never wanted this life for you." Gemma sighed. "She wanted the world for you Summer and that didn't include a motor cycle club or a father that wouldn't give it up." She began to stroke what felt like bones instead of skin. "I gave her my word as her friend that I would take her secret to the grave. I never thought that it would be her to go back on her word. But I'm glad she decided to let us in and be a part of your life." Summer stared forward. "You changed him Summer and you did it for the better." The corner of Gemma's mouth twitch as if she were about to smile, she didn't.

::

"Do I look like the kind of person who takes kindly to followers?" Ava tapped her foot on the curb while holding a large brown papered package of some sort.

The music from the reception hall flooded into the street where they were standing the moment someone exited the building causing both Ava and her follower to look.

"What are you doing here Happy?" She sighed popping a hip to the left trying to adjuster her grip on whatever it was she was holding.

"Figured you could use the support."

"I don't need support from anyone." She answered with enough attitude to show she was both offended at the idea and embarrassed due to it being the truth. With a sigh she stared at him cutting her eyes just a little before she nodded. "Well you might as well make yourself useful." She handed him the thin package in her hands.

"Nice dress."

She felt the blush spread over her cheeks the minute he complemented her and the olive green maxi dress with its long sleeves and raw hem that hung to the ground. "Thanks" she mumbled pulling her hands up into the sleeves feeling as though the material hung a little too tightly to her body.

They didn't say anything else as they entered the tiny reception hall. They didn't say anything as they found the room the anniversary party was taking place in and they most definitely didn't say anything as Ava tried to convince him to leave the package on the table with the other gifts and run. Nope there was no way Happy was allowing her to just run especially as the two who the party was being held for approached with a look of confusion.

"Can I help you?" Ava took in the mother and father and could instantly pick out which features from each of them when into making Kip.

Her mouth dropped open, the words if in there couldn't come out, nothing made sense and to top it all off she began to sweat. "Panic oh my God I'm Panicking" Her brain told herself. "Shut your mouth you idiot" it added. Her heart rate picked up and just when she turned to leave Happy stepped up placing his strong chest behind her, trapping her.

"This is Ava." He started; eyes went from Ava to Happy then instantly back to Ava. "Normally Ava can put a sentence or two together but right now she is a little loss for words due to the fact she is meeting the parents of the man who she was beginning a relationship with." Of course Kip's parents know who Ava was; they just never expected to meet her. The woman stepped forward first with tears beginning to form, Ava instantly inhaled a breath which she held as she watched in slow motion the woman reach forward. With squinted eyes not sure if she should clench her body for the impact of a smack at showing up to this joyous occasion just to remind them of their loss or… she wasn't able to tell her body to reach another way in time and soon she felt her stiff body become embraced by the warmth of a woman who loved her son very much and there for love this strange woman who had decided still to show up. The hug ended and with no words and all Ava took from this touching moment was that she needed to get the fuck out of there before the flood gates opened, oh and she needed to leave her fucking translator behind.

Ditching Happy was easy when the family wanted to take pictures with her, and only her, they were still hesitant with the man who was a part of the club they weren't exactly thrilled their son was join, and once the flashes were over and her eyes regained focus she slipped out the back and into the chilled October air, freedom couldn't come soon enough as the dams burst the minute she threw herself through the heavy steel door. She made it two steps before she kneeled down to wrap her arms around the cotton material hugging her knees against her chest and burying her face into the fabric. It was there at the wedding anniversary of her dead boyfriend's parents that she let the herself have the chance to cry for Kip and for Summer and finally for herself, it was there at the wedding anniversary for her dead boyfriend's parents that Happy silently stood behind her and silently watched the hurt run from her body, he promised her silently that he would never let her know he saw her at her weakest moment and the minute she stood before she had a chance to turn around he would be back inside the part, acting oblivious to her cry fest.

::

"Well that went surprisingly well." Clay silently walked back to his bike where his SAA reminded him of just how well their little meeting had gone with the enemy.

"Hey esay." The thick Spanish turned Clay back around. "Got a minute?" Marcus asked as he approached the President and the SAA. "Alone." He added.

"Yeah." Clay mumbled telling Tigs to fall back with a hard pat on his leather chest.

The two men walked away from the bikes in silence and didn't stop till they were more than ears distance away.

"I uh." Marcus leaned again a fence post that had long ago lost the chain linking it to the next and the next and so on. "I'm sorry about what happened to your daughter."

He nodded leaning against his own post. "Yeah so am I." he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You know when shit like this happens to family it makes it all seem so trivial." Marcus stared ahead watching a bloody body being dragged from "meeting" tunnel. "It's different when one of us get hurt because we picked to live this live style but when family takes the bullet for our shit sometimes it makes me wish I became a plumber or some shit." Of course that would never have happened no matter how Marcus talked, he is Mayan blood through and through, and Clay got what he was saying no need to explain it to him. "Kinda hard to apologize for a hit gone wrong when you where the target." Marcus chuckled to himself.

Clay shrugged. "I'm sure it won't be the last." He rubbed a hand over his face.

"She lost the baby to right?" Marcus knew the answer and frowned shaking his head. "Man I am sorry about that. Your daughter is a…" there was no way he could verbally say exactly what he thought of the firecracker who refused to cower to him. "Something else." Was the best he could come up with.

Clay nodded his agreement.

"Never thought we would be doing this dance again Clay."

"I knew it was a matter of time." Clay smirked pulling a cigar from his cut handing one to the Mayan pres and keeping one for himself.

"Let's try to keep our children out of it this time." Marcus stood up giving Clay nodded thanks for the cigar. "I'd like to keep my boys in the family picture this year."

"That's fine by me." Clay exhaled and also stood turning away and heading back towards his bike.

"Everything good pres?" Tigs had been the only one to wait behind.

"When in life is anything ever just good Tiggy?"

::

A plan had be set in motion the minute the men left the meeting and their first stop was the hospital to take care of business, they had travelled as a group together back from meeting stop and forked when the hospital came in sight, some returned to the club house to debrief and a few travelled on to the hospital to handle a toxic situation in the name of justice.

Opie had made a pit stop along the way finding himself stepping into a nightmare the minute he entered the empty room.

It wasn't just the empty feeling he got from the room that was unsettling, it was the silence that spoke trouble.

With a bouquet of flowers in hand he turned back from the door and the empty disheveled bed and quickly high tailed it down the hallway.

::

Gemma sat in the office of her daughter in law hidden away behind a locked door drinking piss warm coffee and reading another magazine that really she could care less about when there was a loud knock on the door. Startled she spilt her coffee on the page that was somewhat entertaining. There was another knock followed by the sound of keys. Her heart began to race as she stood looking for a place to hide. It was too late though as the door opened and she remained in the middle of the room.

"Dammit Tara you nearly gave me a heart attack!" She held a hand to her chest as the doctor entered followed by the bearded biker.

"Summer's gone." Gemma's heart dropped.

::

It was strange to find the heart rate monitor machine comforting, course she wouldn't think it was comforting as really she didn't think at all, she just found it familiar. Tilting her head slowly to the left and then the right she watched the man sleep from the foot of his hospital bed. Her hand tucked into the pocket of the white lab coat that covered her borrowed hospital scrubs, she thumbed the cap of the devise that was the be all to end all to the man peacefully sleeping. Her feet shuffled along the ground as she moved towards the IV bag pumping fluid and life into the body now to her left. She let the cap fall to the ground as she removed the needle from her pocket and with hands of a surgeon raised it to the intake valve for the IV needle. She didn't even blink as she drained her syringe mixing her small amount of liquids with his large and now deadly amount. She turned to the body whose eyes were now opened and smiled.

He looked as though he was trying to say something about the pain he was feeling or about his condition but really he had just mistaken the woman as a doctor or a nurse or someone who gave a shit. She took a step forward and with gentle hands reach forward to stroke the hair off of his forehead. He blinked a few times when her medication started its way through his veins.

"Sleep now." Her voice was hauntingly sweet as she moved her hand from his forehead to his eyes forcing them to close. He fought, well no he tired to fight as poison course through his veins destroying everything in its path turning blood to acid. Right now his heart would begin shutting down and his body would begin the quick but painful processes of dying and she was right there to hold his eyes closed to be the last voice he heard before he spent hopefully eternity suffering for his actions in this life and should there be reason for investigation the results would point towards cardiac arrest.

"Sleep now." Her voice still sweet was cold as she told him one last time feeling the body under her hand stop its pathetic attempt at saving itself. She gave a weak smile before dropping the needle into the needle box off to the side on the wall.

"Summer." She slowly turned around to see the three bikers standing in the door way.

Opie watched her cautiously stare at him with a blank expression on her face. He watched her slowly walk towards like the living dead. It wasn't till she was at his shoulder that she looked up at him with dead eyes.

"What did you do?" He growled.

She didn't say a word only gave a sweet little smile before continuing on her way.

::

By the time word reached Clay she had returned herself to the hospital bed and her forever stare at the fucking empty wall. He had blown through the door like dynamite and demanded that she talk to him, he ever shook her lifeless body pleading with her to say something, anything just fucking talk! She remained silent.

By the time word reached Ava she had ran back from the small reception hall not stopping to make sure her follower could keep up, he couldn't but he would catch up with her later.

Not to alarm hospital staff over the situation her best friend had gotten herself into Ava calmly entered the hospital and refused to speak to anyone in leather or well clothing for that matter until she was behind closed doors.

Thankfully those closed doors only held a very upset father, a comatose best friend and her.

"This is going to be the moment that defines her Clay. Fuck David's death or Maisy's death this is going to be the one that going forward will be the moment that defines her life." Ava stood at the end of the bed as Clay towered over his daughter.

"What do I do?"

"Well I'm thinking some crazy fucking meds in her system and long term care in a mental fucking hospital."

Summer stared on.

Tigs broke into the silence of Ava's professional evaluation to hand Clay the tiny orange cap that is usual found on the needle end of a syringe.

"Figured it would be for the best if there was nothing left behind." Tig whispered to Clay as he leaned in to hand it over. "Also just got word that they are ruling it a cardiac arrest with no further investigation." He held Clay's eyes for a second waiting for the instruction on what to do next.

"Find Tara and let's see if we can get her released and then we move her to the club house."

He looked towards Ava wondering if that is the way she would go, she was too busy watching her friend lose it.

Leaving Ava and Clay to deal with the living deal girl Tigs quickly took his queue to leave.

"It will be the guilt that will be the hardest for her to deal with." After a moment of silence Ava finally began. "Today is the day that she took someone's life and she will forever feel the impact of that in her heart. Nothing else before today matters when she will look back in the future for the rest of her life to this day. She will always think of this day first as the day she ended the life of a living and breathing person and was not held accountable for it. She will be able to say that she got away with murder and that will haunt her. She will do things that will require punishment from now on forward in order to feel a slight bit of relief over the burden of carrying this murder on her shoulders. Yes it was probably justify able to a few and yes even more of us would have done it in the name of retribution but for Summer this will be the moment in her life that will be her down fall." Ava rounded the corner of the bed standing beside Clay as he looked down at his daughter. Together they fell back into silence as they stared at her staring through them.

"Do you have to be right all the time?" Clay asked.

"I would be wrong in saying no." She smiled before she laid down next to the blonde for another long and sleepless night.

::

"_Have you ever killed someone?" She had found it hard to sleep during the night and was more than happy when he had woken up magically at the same time she had, funny how an elbow to the ribs could do that._

"_Mmmm" he had moaned his answer. _

"_David words no mumbles." She laughed into the side of his neck._

"_No I have never killed someone." He sounded happy about his answer. "Sure I've shot people but never kill shots." And that was a silent prayer he said before every shift. After a few minutes of silence he asked a dreaded question. "Have you?"_

"_I've never killed a human." She rolled onto her back letting her head fall to the side so she could look at him. "But I have shot Ava before."_

"_What" his tone was one of shock._

"_To be fair it was only a minor flesh wound and she was blendin in with the trees directly in my line of fire. Now she may say that she was decked out in orange gear but she is lying." Truth, Ava was decked out in orange gear._

"_Are you being serious right now?" He looked at her face and knew she was as serious as a heart attack. "How old were you?"_

_She smiled looked up at the ceiling as if the ceiling knew the secret she wouldn't share._

"_Do you think if you would be the same if you kill someone?" _

_David shrugged looking to up at the ceiling. "Well I hope I never have to find out but I guess if it came down to it, it would really matter on the situation."_

"_There is a different situation in order to kill someone?" She turned to look at him._

"_Yeah of course." He turned to look at her._

"_I would only ever shot someone if my life was in danger."_

"_What about my life?"_

"_Well yeah you too."_

"_What about Clay's life?"_

_He remained silent._

"_What about Clay's life?" She asked again._

"_I don't think I would shot to kill I think I would shot to subdue the suspect."_

_She smiled. "You sound like a cop."_

"_I am a cop." He wasn't smiling._

"_When does it become shot to subdue and shot to kill."_

"_When my life or your life is in danger." He hated this conversation._

"_What if someone killed me would you ever avenge my death." She was having way too much fun with this conversation knowing at 1:00 am on October 3__rd__ that it would never in a million years happen._

"_Summer." He frowned._

"_David." She smiled._

_He remained silent. _

"_Well if someone were to kill you I would avenge you." She smiled hoping that her smile would lighten his mood._

"_Avenge me by living." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Now no more talk about killing and shit I hate to think of these horrible thoughts stirring around in your beautiful brain." He kissed her forehead. "Now let's fuck and forget about it." She loved when he talked dirty to her._

_::_

"Someone had to call her in there is no way that Stahl would know she was here without being tipped off." Clay was pacing the hall outside of the room his wife had faked a heart attack to get into.

Jax followed his father with his eyes.

"Clay your guess is as good as mine."

"They are going to put her away Jax." He stopped pacing wondering if the tingling in his left arm was real or his imagination.

"We are jumping the gun a little let's just.."

"We don't have time to make a plan anymore. We need to act now." Clay looked at his son the minute the click of high heels on tile grew from far to near. "I can't live without Jax." He held the sleeve holes of his son's cut. "Help me." Never in Jax's life had he ever heard a plea come from his step father's mouth.

"JAX!" Juice ran past the woman in a typical black power suite without so much as a second glance. "Call for you on the prepay" he handed his VP the phone and then leaned in. "From Belfast." Jax looked from his father to the agent approaching and left after his father gave him the go ahead nod.

"Yeah" Clay heard Jax say before the agent finally reached him with a smug smile on her stupid bitch face, Clay words not mine.

"Well Mr. Morrow gotta say your week probably tops the list for shitty weeks. Tell me how is your beautiful daughter doing?"

Clay cut his eyes to the agent.

"I hear that she hasn't said a word to anyone since David's little accident."

Clay remained silent.

"You know ballistics came back on the bullet pulled from David's heart."

"And?"

"Seems it's not a match to the shooters' guns." Stahl smiled as she passed him reaching for the knob on his wife's hospital room door. "Oh and be sure to thank Summer for the lovely conversation this afternoon for me."

::

Just a short one but I'm hoping that you all enjoy..

I'll try and update again soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Clay sat in the room with his wife who had finally realized there was more going on then what there appeared to be. After calling a family meeting, the good doc included, minus one mentally unstable step daughter, she made the leader of this family start from the very beginning.

"Cameron took Abel because he thought you killed his son." Clay leaned against the counter arms crossed over his chest trying to give of the appearance of strength.

"What?" Gemma sat up in her hospital bed a little straighter. "What do you mean he took Abel? Where did he take him? Who was watching him?" Gemma answered her own question by looking directly at Tara who couldn't allow their eyes to meet. "And you just let him?" her words were like acid on silk.

"No she didn't just let him." Jax stepped up, literally, and put himself in front of his lady. "Tara did everything she could to stop him. Sack too." Gemma knew the state of Sack and deep down was gratefully Tara didn't meet the same fate, course she would tell her that later on, be it in the week, month, possibly year, okay well at some point Gemma would tell Tara.

"If it was my baby."

"But he's not!" Jax snapped making his mom's eyes widen in shock. "He is my baby and Tara's baby and we are the ones losing our fucking minds. So unless you have the golden answer to finding my son you don't get to have an opinion." The room became silence as she looked from her son to husband.

Normal Gemma would have snapped back, weak Gemma would have looked to her husband to defend her honor, new Gemma knew deep down that this fuck up was all on her.

"Abel is in Belfast." Tara needed to end the silence. "Jax just got a call from a Maureen Ashby"

Jax glanced back at her tired face and gave a small smile and a wink that sent blood back to her cheeks.

"You gotta get me to Belfast." Jax looked to his father.

The room itself felt like it was closing in around Clay with each new demand or problem heaved onto his shoulders, maybe it wasn't the room, maybe it was the whole God damn world.

:: 

When all that was said was said and they all needed a minute to process what had happened Clay followed Tara into the hall as she pretended she had been paged to surgery or follow up or who the hell cares.

"You uh got a minute?" He stopped the doctor who instantly became her usually nervous self whenever in the presence of the President.

"Sure." She glanced towards the door praying Jax would exit, he didn't.

"I was wondering if you could check on when Summer can be released."

"Yeah I can do that." Her eyes darted back and forth refusing to actually look at the man.

"Do you think she will ever be the same?" He sounded tired, he looked tired, and he was tired.

Her need to quickly remove herself from his heavy presence vanished when she felt a wave of sadness hit her. "With time Summer will return to…" She would have said normal but decided no point in lying or giving false hope, doctor rule #1.

"She will never be herself again will she?" He asked looking down towards the ground.

Tara shook her head. "I want to believe that she is stronger than this, that she will find away to cope but I don't know if she knows how to. I don't think she has ever had a real loss like this."

"There was Nora."

"That would be considered different." She nodded him towards the nearly empty waiting area sitting down in a seat first and didn't continue to talk until he joined her. "With Nora she had time to come to terms with what would happen. She was able to process her emotions and work herself through the stages of grief way before the actually death of her mother. With David and the baby she had no time to even consider the worse case scenarios, the worse case just happened. Her body has shut itself down as a means to try to heal itself, consider it a form of shock. She is there just she's not at the same time, do you know what I mean?"

Clay nodded still looking at the ground.

"She will come back Clay just when she is ready too." Tara reached forward putting a hand on his callused skin. "I don't think she would be able to handle this without you." She gave a small smile, her smile of course vanished when Ava ran by skidding to a stop and then turning to the man and woman.

"She's gone." Ava told them out of breath.

::

"She signed her release papers about an hour ago." The three ran through the exit to the hospital and into the bright morning sun.

"How could she just get herself released?" Clay was beyond panicked, something the other two women had never seen before.

"Well technically there is nothing wrong with her medically. She is just a woman who isn't handling the death of her husband or unborn child well; there is no sign that she is a risk to others or herself." Ava and Clay glanced quickly at each other as Tara talked scanning the parking lot looking for a white haired mental case.

"I'll get someone to check the house." Clay pulled his phone from his pocket. "I'm gonna start driving around."

"Alright I'll start in that direction." Ava pointed north and set off not waiting to see which direction Tara would head in.

"What's going on?" Jax came out a few seconds later as his father and his sister's best friend left in a panic.

"Summer split." Tara reached into the pocket of her white lab coat that covered her borrowed hospital scrubs and thought for a minute.

::

Opie stood off to the side treating this situation as one caught up in a similar one would, he stood back watching the woman knowing that any sudden movement from him would cause her to bolt, yes he was treating her like a wild animal.

Dressed in her doctor's clothing Summer squatted down in front of a puddle where days before had been stained in her husband blood. She wrapped her arms around her legs giving her the shape of a small ball and just stared at the spot where David took his last breath.

He didn't dare to move let alone breathe as he watched her stare. It was the ringing of his cell phone that gave him away.

"Fuck." He hissed as her head shot up and slowly turned to face him. He ignored the call and slowly took a few steps forward. "I'm not following you I promise." Her face remained emotionless as he approached. "I just was passing by and I saw you." He took another few steps forward. "I just wanted to check on you to make sure you are okay." She stood up the minute he became too close and took a defensive stance blocking his view from the puddle. "I didn't know you were released from the hospital." He took a step back. "You aren't talking are you?"

Her eyes cut through him as his phone rang again; he once again ignored the call. "That's probably Clay."

He looked her up and down actually seeing her for the first time actually seeing how small she really was. The clothing, that looked very familiar by the way, hung off of her body which appeared to be more bone then muscle, he frowned when he saw her chest and was able to see the bones that created her breast plate, her hair was stringy from days of being unwashed and hung limply over her shoulders, and her eyes would give any gothic kid with too much make up a run for their money, her eyes were the saddest of her appearance complete with bruising caused by lack of sleep.

"They probably have discovered you are gone." If Opie could place his money on anything it would be that the woman took it upon herself to leave without so much as a word to anyone else, (like what I did there... word play) "They are probably concerned about you." He would also place his money on that too. "I could take you back." She took a step back stepping her barefoot into the puddle causing a small splash.

"Or not." He looked around at the empty road then towards the curb. "Or we can just wait here till your ready." He walked cautiously past her and sat himself down on the curb. "Didn't have anything better to do." He reached into his cut and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter and left them beside him on the curb. "Got a brand new pack and all day darlin." He spoke with a cigarette between his teeth. "May have to leave you though for some food at some point." He smiled to himself as she remained one foot in the puddle. His cell rung once more which like before went un answered.

::

After an hour of squatting her body seemed to have giving up and she joined him on the curb, be it there was a good distance between them but she had joined him none the less. He had smoked and smoked and complained about the weather and then smoked again but for the most part she was perfect company as she didn't complain about the smell of the cigarettes or his pointless conversation she just was there.

"Ellie wanted to be this Frankie Stein chick for Halloween. The knee highs covered more skin then the whole fuck outfit." He re lit a smoke. "Since when did Frankenstein where fucking knee highs." He looked ahead at the ground feeling her eyes on him, he would pretty like he didn't know and give her a chance to warm up to him. "Kenny wants to be a box robot complete with drier duct arms." He smiled. "At least Kenny thinks I'm cool enough to go trick or treating with. Ellie would rather get the plague then be caught on the same block with me." He slid the pack over offering one to her but didn't turn his head to look if she would take one. "Lyla says all teenagers go through this shit but I don't buy it, when I was younger my dad was the shit, I wanted to be just like him." He inhaled smelling the smell of another cigarette. "Jax told me Abel is in Belfast." He flicked his finished cigarette and leaned back using his arms as support. "Figures we will be heading to Belfast within a couple of days. Clay is going to talk to Elliot and see if we can catch a ride on his charter plane." He glanced out of the corner of his eye when he felt her stop looking at him, his feelings were right she now stared at the ground with a cigarette she was letting burn away in her fingers. "Summer it will get better." Enough pussy footing around the truth. "I know it doesn't seem like it now but eventually it will get better." She remained in the same position. "I'm not saying that time will heal your wounds I'm just saying that scar tissue will grow over them and eventually the scar tissue will numb the pain." She remained in the same position. "I don't know about you but I'm fucking starving." She remained in the same position.

::

He had promised to return even though he knew it would make a difference to her if he did or not but he used the break as a chance to purchase a snack and make some calls. Clay was first on the list.

"Now you decide to talk." Clay was clearly panicked.

"Didn't want to alarm the little runaway." Opie paid for the picnic lunch to a boy who was shaking in his apron. "Paper double bagged." He growled to the bag boy and returned his attention to the conversation. "She at the funeral home."

"Why?" he could hear Clay's boots on the cement and knew the man was about to make his way in that direction.

"Think she just wanted to be back where it happened. I'm heading back there now I think I might have made some progress with her." He hadn't he just wasn't ready yet to let her go.

"I'll meet you there." Clay said hanging up, guess now he didn't have a choice.

::

Opie had placed an un wrapped sandwich on the curb beside her as he ate his waiting for her father to show up, he had expected the man to be here by the time he got back from the grocery store, but she remained in the same position on the curb in front of the puddle, alone.

"They only had ham." He frowned into the sandwich which wasn't the best but would do, for now. "Oh and I picked you up something to quench your thirst." He poured the amber liquid into a travel tumbler cup and placed it next to her sandwich. "And also a little something for me too." His wasn't a amber liquid but more so an clear liquid, but like the amber one this one also would put hair on your chest. He ate and drank well she sat the make shift picnic remained untouched.

Clay finally arrived bringing an end to their make due picnic.

"Summer." He had enough sense to call for "back up" which came in the form of Piney and the tow truck. "I have been worried sick about you." He kneeled in front of his daughter who refused to raise her head to look at him. "Come on baby girl let's get you home." Her body was loose which was helpful to the man who against his body's protest and own aches and pains lifted up her body and cradled her against his leather chest as he brought her to the waiting tow truck.

"Where to boss?" Piney asked as he buckled her in.

"Home." Clay sighed. "The club house."

::

Once the call came in Tara sat down at her desk with a heavy sigh. She had given a lot with the last few days in ways that were even still a shock to her, she had given the means to ending a life, she had given a disguise, and lastly she had given an escape plan. She was exhausted. Now when Summer had talked, briefly, of ending the life of the man who had taken everything from her Tara's brain quickly went into over planning mode, thinking about all the possible outcomes, bottom line was there was no way Summer was doing it without being caught and that meant she couldn't do it without her help. She had spent most of that night when everyone else had gone home trying to get Summer to talk to her further about the "plans" but Summer remained silent. So it was Tara that thought up the plan on a dime but was more than confident it would work, no one would think that there was foal play and the needle would be hidden in a stack of needles, literally. She was about to try and talk Summer out of it as she helped put Summer into the "borrow" scrubs but knew that Summer was to committed to the idea of committing murder. Weird thing was that actually committing the crime was surprisingly easy. Tara hated how easy it seemed to end a life but what she hated more, which she would never tell Summer, was how easy it was to get away with it.

Tara pulled the pony tail from her head and ran her nails deep into the root of her hair and scratched relief back to her sculpt. Jax seemed to fly through the door of her tiny office just as she finished massaging her head.

"She's at the club house." He shut the door behind him and gave her a smile.

Leaning back into her chair she watched him approach the desk.

"I know you want to come to Ireland." He began. "But hear me out."

She sighed crossing her arms over her chest. Of course leave it to Jax to be proactive in addressing the elephant that was going to form in the room.

"I can't be thinking about your safety when I'm trying to kill my way into getting our son back."

"Can we describe it another way." A chill ran through Tara's soul.

"Tara I can't be worried about you and the baby and Abel and this club at the same time. I need you to stay here and I need you to not fight me on this." There was no authority or demand in his voice; he was speaking to her strictly as an equal which is why she decided to not fight him on his request.

"When do you leave?"

"Clay is talking to Elliot now." He had been expecting a fight, he had been bracing for a fight.

"I will stay here only on one condition."

"What's that?" he seemed to tense up preparing for some delayed reaction.

"You bring me my son back."

::

It had dawned pretty quickly to Ava as she ran into the club house that she had ran more in the last few days then she had in the last 2 weeks, no wonder her muscles felt like they had become torn in many MANY different placed. Summer who remained dress in her borrowed clothes sat up with her legs pulled into her chest on a couch that was meant for two that now sat one.

"Summer." Ava slowly approached from behind feeling that this would be the moment in a horror movie when she would experience the scare of a life time, that or Summer would lunge forward with a butcher knife and plunge it into her chest the minute she came to the front of the couch, she didn't, in fact Summer's eyes were closed.

"How long as she been asleep for?" Ava put a hand on the top of Summer's head and asked the group of men that refused to approach.

"An hour or so." Clay stepped out of chapel shutting the doors behind him. "I didn't want to wake her so I just left her where she was."

Kneeling in front of the woman she watched the slow rise and fall of Summer's chest, the flutter of closed eye lids and the tapping of a finger that resembled once again Morse code.

"Where the hell was she?" Ava stood up when the pressure on her knees became too much, no matter how fit you are bare knees on cement is never comfortable.

"Funeral home." Clay still in a room full of many men was the only one to answer. "I actually need to talk to you in private." He scanned the crowd of men pretending not to listen, stopping for a second on a bald one that did little to hide the fact that he was listening, and then looked back at the woman. "In here." He took her by the elbow and led her into no woman's land.

He nodded where she was to sit and didn't talk again until he was in his chair, cigar lit. "We head for Belfast tomorrow night."

"Okay."

"I'm taking her with me."

Ava didn't say anything just looked at him with a cautious glance.

"Do you think it's a bad idea?" Clay not use to asking for other's advice felt uncomfortable actually saying the words.

"I don't think it's the greatest." Ava tapped her finger on the hard wooden table as she though. "But it's not the worst." She looked up at Clay. "Summer is going to need support during this horrible time in her life. By taking her half way across the world on something she is deathly afraid of you are going to be adding to her already high anxiety level. I doubt she is ready to verbally object your decision though."

"But you talk to her."

"I don't start the conversations, she does." Ava stopped. "Clay this is so out of my realm I have no advice on how to handle this situation." Ava looked down at the table. "I'm really just blowing it out of my ass." Her fingers went up to her head which she used to pulled at the roots of her hair. "I'm sorry Clay I don't know what to say." Clay looked at the woman ahead of him change in an instant from confident, aged with old wisdom woman to a young lady who could barely pass for the age of 18. He blinked his eyes a few times just to be sure he was looking at the same woman.

"I'm supposed to be the one that knows how to handle every situation life throws at it us all the time." She looked up at Clay the hint of tears forming in her eyes. "I am the problem solver of our family. Summer gets us into a situation; I get us out of it." Her nose was beginning to run. "I am not the one that "needs" someone, Summer is. I am the one that she depends, I am the one that fixes shit, and I am the one…" She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath fighting hard to keep the tears at bay. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. On the last exhale her appearance returned to that of one Clay knew, she was back to her strong, wise, confident self again. She blinked away a tear and looked at him.

"Will your wife be flying with you?" Her tiny break down pushed to the back of her mind.

"That would be the next thing I would like to talk to you about."

::

She had left after their private meeting and promise to return later with some of Summer's own things, Summer was asleep so her promise really fell on deaf ears. She was relieved to leave the club house alone, and she was even more relieved to not have a shadow the whole way back to Summer's house. She needed to do the next thing on her list now, before it became too late, the Halloween decorations had to go.

With a few loud grunts she began pulling stakes from deep within the ground and ripping spider web floss down from the trees, he started helping without asking if she needed it and she hadn't noticed him till she saw the pile of bones in the driveway. With a nod from him to her then back from her to him, Ava and Happy silently worked in cleaning the yard of all Halloween evidence, while the neighbors watched through cracks in their blinds.

::

The club house kept their distance from her as she sat staring out the window into the setting sun. Her arms still wrapped around her legs and her cheek resting on her knee she had watched the sun begin it's descend making way for the bright moon. As she watched the slow movement in the sky Opie watched her lack of movement giving her space to grieve. Had this been what he was like, no he had looked to grieve in between women's legs and at the bottom of a bottle. Summer was letting it consume her and if she wasn't care, she would lose herself to it; of course that was what she wanted at this point.

The club house was pretty much empty when the sun vanished from the sky, minus for her, her father who sat behind the chapel doors and him. He stood up the stool he sat on scrapping metal legs against the cement floor. He grimaced but she didn't seem to flinch, in fact she didn't move at all even when he stood directly in front of her.

"I would say come on lets go for a ride." He stared down at her. "But I don't think I could trust you to hold on."

She remained watching the night sky as it began to darken and the twinkle of a million diamonds became visible.

"Think you can climb a ladder or do I have to do it for both of us."

Her head slowly turned to him.

"Oh my God she hasn't gone deaf." He acted shocked very well. "I think some fresh air will do you some good. You actually smell really bad and the breeze should help in blowing some of that stink off."

For as well as he acted shocked, she did even better at acting unimpressed.

"Will you come on all ready?" He reached out his hand and waited till the count of 20 for her to slowly reach out and put her skeleton of a hand in his. "That's it." He helped her to standing which was slowly as the blood flow from her bent up legs had been cut off many hours prior to this moment. When the pins and needles vanished and the blood flowed freely, together; still slowly and still hand in hand they walked away from the couch and towards the back door.

Clay stood in the window of chapel watching the man he swore to kill, begin the process of rescuing his daughter from herself.

::

She could climb for herself but that didn't stop Opie from hovering around her as the climb the ladder together and once at the top, her first followed by him, she didn't reach out a hand to assist in hoisting her up, which he made sure to comment on.

"What no assistance this time?" Brushing dirt from his hands he watched her approach the vent that they had used so many times in the past as a chair.

He was right, it was breezy, and he was also right about her stinking too. She inhaled the minute the breeze blew past her which caused him to smirk when he saw the quick wince on her face. "I've smelt worse, take your brother for example." Opie sat next to her. "I would offer you my sweater but I know I'll never get it back and if I do I'm not sure I want it back."

Now the next time a breeze blew past he couldn't deny her the sweater as the chattering of her teeth and the shivering of her body became too much. Pulling the warmth away from his body he dressed her in it as he pulled it over her head letting it fall around her body. "Never actually dressed a woman." He smiled his warm smile. There was small progress though, she looked him in the eyes and moved her hands into the arm holes, even more progress, she returned his smile with a tiny one of her own.

::

Ava carried the bag while Happy kept up.

"You know I have a bike right."

"And?"

"We could travel a lot fast if we were on it."

"I'm not getting on your bike." She kicked at a stone which was actually more of a fixed cement object. Pain radiated from the tip of her toe up to her hip bone then back down. "Fuck!" for a woman like Ava, smart, beautiful, calm as the ocean, she didn't handle pain well at all.

"Plus there are less walking related injuries on a bike."

"But there are more motorcycle related injuries on a bike."

"Oh so you are scared." Happy smiled taken the bag from her hand and flinging it over his shoulder.

"I'm not scared." She furrowed her brows. "I'm fearless." She reached for the bag that he held just out of reach.

"Fearless." He nodded as he took a few steps ahead. "But you won't get on a motorcycle."

"That doesn't mean I'm afraid, it means I'm smart." She moved a little fast to keep up. "Besides maybe I just don't want to be on your bike."

"Oh so that's it, you just don't like me."

"Yes actually that is it, I don't like you." He stopped walking and held out the bag pulling it back quickly the second her hand reached for it.

"Well I like you." He was grinning the human version of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.

"Give your attention and time to someone who wants it." She reached for the bag again only this time with a distracting left hand she pulled it free with her right. "And stop wasting mine." She continued walking putting good distance between herself and him.

"You're only prolonging the inevitable."

"The only inevitable in my life is death." She shouted over her shoulder.

"And you on my cock!" he was never one to not have the last word. 

::

Just a quick update... Hope I haven't lost you …

Kendra.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

In silence they had watched the night progress and even though there was no progress from the woman next to him, there was nowhere else he would rather be, instantly he knew that thinking that was a problem. He had somewhere he did in fact need to be tonight, tomorrow, the next and it was with his family not the mental case to his right. He also probably shouldn't call her a mental case. Admitting to himself that he also probably shouldn't get comfortable being the hero for this little nut job (yes not much better then mental case but he wasn't putting much thought into it) was a surprising realization, somewhere along the way he had grown up, somewhere along the way Lyla had planted herself deep within his heart, somewhere along the way he lost the hurt over Donna.

"I just want to feel better." He thought for a second he had imagined his voice, and then he realized he hadn't.

"I just want to feel anything then what I was feeling." He continued. "I was doing everything I could to numb the pain in my chest caused by Donna's death. But the moment the morning came and I found myself in bed with another woman or the alcohol faded the pain returned." He stopped for a minute to light a smoke. "I get what you are going through Summer. If there is anyone who could get it more than you it's me."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the forever taptap taptap of her finger as she hugged herself for warmth.

"Why are you doing that?" the taptap taptap had become too much.

She shook her head quickly not giving an answer.

"Summer serious that is driving me fucking mental." He latched onto her finger forcing it to stop. "What the fuck are you doing some kind of sos?" he smiled to himself but that smile lasted for only a second.

"It was his heart beat." Summer pulled her finger free.

"Whose?" Opie dreaded the answer.

"The man I killed."

::

There was no way Ava couldn't not notice Opie and Summer sitting on the roof, now it sucks for Summer that Ava's first thought was that Opie was up there in the attempts to talk her friend down from a very short fall to the pavement but when she noticed they were sitting a possibly talking Ava threw out the suicidal talks her brain was trying to prepare her for and went into the empty club house.

"They still up there?" Clay sat at the bar pouring himself and now her, a shot of the good stuff, top shelf kind good stuff.

"Yeah." She dropped the bag by the couch and headed over. "Gotta say I'm a little offended she picked him over me."

"How do you think I feel I'm her father for fuck sake?"

"I'm her best friend for fuck sake." She sat on the stool and emptied her shot glass. "What do we know about this Opie fellow?" she nodded for him to pour her another.

Clay laughed as he gave her a top up. "Nothing good that's for sure."

He turned his head to the club house door which re opened. Ava sighed as the bald man walked in blocking the light he let in before he shut the door.

"Pres." He nodded to Clay as he walked by completely ignoring Ava in his path to his dorm room.

"Anyhow" Ava rolled her eyes as he passed. "I'm gonna head out." She jumped down.

"You stayin at Summer's?" Clay poured another shot.

"Sure." She headed towards the door. "I packed enough of Summer's stuff for the week. Oh and David's funeral is tomorrow just so you know."

"Wait are you gonna be back tomorrow to see us off?"

"Sure." She opened the door to the club house and walked out into the breezy Charming evening. Clay noticed that she sure said sure a lot when she didn't want to give an answer.

::

Now the man who had wanted to be home found himself far from the warmth of his should have been wife in their bed. Instead of burying himself balls deep into the good doc, Jax found himself following the best friend of his sister and his lady into a bar that was not the best place for a woman like her. Out of the three women in his life excluding his mother and including his sister and old lady he knew that this one that entered "Flee Whiskeys'" could and probably would be able to handle and take care of herself the best but there was a feeling in his stomach that maybe he should leave her to prove him wrong tonight. Parking his bike across the street he made his way across the street.

The music was loud and the air was heavy with smoke, almost thick enough that you couldn't see a few feet in front of you, almost. Of course you would be able to pick out a woman swarmed by a group of horny shit heads a mile away.

He shook his head as he approached taking in the appearance of the woman he hadn't yet actually looked at. When he saw the woman leaning onto the bar in front of her throwing back shot after shot of clear liquid with her hips swaying in beat to the Metallica play list that poured out of the juke box he knew that he had changed, that could be the only reason why he hadn't see what all the other men in the club had. This was a woman who knew that she was exactly what a man wanted and she played into it, her legs perfectly sculpted and the right length to wrap around a waist seemed always to be in shorts that were a few sizes too short, the boots on her feet showed she was prepared to kick some ass which to a criminal or man who lived on the wrong side of the tracks was always a turn on, and her upper body like her legs in their shorts was always covered in a tank top, a wife beater to be exact. The bullet between her larger than his wife's or sister's was another dead giveaway that trouble should have been Ava's middle name, he tilted his head to the side as he gave her another quick look over, maybe trouble was her middle name he didn't really know nor had he thought to ask.

She hadn't noticed the men circling her talking amongst themselves about who had and who hadn't had the balls to smack her round ass, but as Jax approached knowing the talks the groups around her were having, her butt remained untouched, but back to Ava, if she had noticed the men in their stupid talks she really didn't care because she gave them neither mind nor no time. She did however notice the blonde biker a few feet away and her shoulders visibly slumped forward, defeated almost.

"Hey." He strolled up to the bar as if running into her unexpected. "Fancy running into you here."

"He isn't with you is he?" She looked over his shoulder.

"Who?" he looked over his shoulder.

"Happy."

Jax turned back to her with a smirk on his face. "Why the hell would Happy." It clicked, Happy liked the bitch, k he instantly corrected his brain, Happy liked Ava.

"Nah just me." He nodded to the bar tender putting up two fingers.

"Oh me." She paid with a $10.

"Shouldn't it be me who buys the drinks?"

"I'm sure I'll drink my fair share of freebies tonight might as well do my part in contributing to the economy." She dropped the change in the bar tender's tip jar.

"This place is a little tough for you don't you think."

Ava turned to look at the crowd leaning back against the bar popping her chest out as she bent back. "Nah this place is all bark."

A man to her left through a bottle at the man to his right causing a mini fight to break out.

"With a bit of a bite." She side stepped a man who had lost his balance to the rumble.

"This place has a reputation." Jax watched the fight inching to involve his fists in it.

"Don't we all." She took another shot that someone further down the bar had bought for her honor. "The ladies of your club think I'm some sort of witch."

Jax laughed. "Aren't you?"

"You know it's the soccer mom types that you gotta watch out for where I come from. It's always the ones that you lest suspect that will steal your soul or give your warts."

"I believe that would be called herpes." Jax laughed, Ava just smiled.

"Oh they also think I'm a whore." She took back another shot.

"Aren't you?" He knew she wasn't, she knew he knew she wasn't.

"Your women are very defensive about what they believe to be theirs. What do you call them crow suckers?"

He coughed on one of her free shots she passed off on him. "Crow eaters."

"What's the difference?" she side stepped another wobbly man who this time tried to balance himself with her breast; a push from Jax had him heading in the other direction.

"You aren't seriously staying here are you?" The music was beginning to give him a head ache, but it could have been the smoky air, the alcohol, or the people inside this dump.

She dropped the wall of strength for a second. "I don't know."

Of course Jax knew why she was here, it was written on her face in glowing neon marker, she didn't want to go back to their, Summer and David's house, alone.

"Why don't you come home with me?" He didn't want it to sound like a cheesy pick up attempt and she didn't take it as that. "We have a spare room you can crash in and I'm sure Tara will want the company." Now how long he expected her to "crash there" seemed to be a while if he was planning on her keeping Tara company.

"Sure." She thought for a second and took a few more shots. "We can stay up and do each other's hair well we are at it."

Together they left the bar to a few snickers, a few cat calls, and a few words of encouragement.

"Fuck men are shit heads." Jax told her when they exited.

"Please women are no better." She stopped on the curb as he climbed onto the bike.

"Well are you getting on?" He patted the spot where he expected her to sit.

"Maybe I better walk." She chewed the inside of her lip.

"What it's like 15 blocks from here." He started up the bike. "Don't be ridiculous get on."

She remained planted to the curb. Inpatients kicked in and as he turned away in frustration he saw what was holding her back, peeking out from her shorts on the inside of her thigh a wing of a crow.

"Is that?" He asked just as she tried to cover it up.

"It's not what you think."

"I think that's exactly what I think it is." He climbed off the bike and moved closer for a better look. "He inked you." There was a sly grin on his face which quickly faded when it all caught up with him. "Sack inked you." His smile was now full of sadness. "That's why you don't want to get on the bike, you are taking it seriously." He looked away. "Shit Ava I'm sorry. I didn't know how serious you two were."

She shrugged it off. "No one did and no one minus a few no one will."

"Well I respect your loyalty to Sack." He pulled out his phone. "Come on let's get you a proper lift."

::

She had left on her own when a call from the woman he should really be with interrupted their silence. She didn't wait for her to offer to climb down with her she just left, leaving the hoodie behind in her place. When the phone call ended Opie threw himself down the ladder and into the club house were a few of his brother drank a night cap and engagaed in tales of their evening.

"What happened up there?" Clay accused Opie of something, anything, everything that a father could and would fear.

Opie just shrugged. "Nothing."

"Nothing? You guys were up there for like 4 fours. Did she talk at least?"

Opie shrugged again. "Nope she just sat there."

Frustrated Clay turned back to the bar. "I don't believe you." He spoke into the glass his SAA had prepared for him.

Opie shrugged on last time before he headed towards the door. Nobody said goodbye.

Summer stood in the darkness of the hallway watching the men interact with each other when she wasn't present. They laughed, they joked, the fought, they were relaxed. For the last few days since she has seen these men they were still and guarded and uncomfortable with her. She watched them not able to process a thought in her brain that had seemed to have taken a vacation away from her head. She watched them with her head tilted trying to take every movment and smile in, she watched them as one might watch a new speicies of animal on display at the zoo.

Oh yes she was fucking losing her god damn mind.

::

Tara had prepared the room as she waited for Tax and the taxi that was to bring Ava home. She had answered Jax's call on the first ring when his expected arrive time had come and gone. She had listened to his apology and explanation as to why he was late and forgave him before he could finish. Now she sat in the living room waiting but pretending not to be waiting at the same time. The rumble of a Harley was first followed by the slamming of a car door. Tara stood up just as the back door opened and met her new roomie in the kitchen.

"Look what the cat dragged in." Tara leaned against the counter a smirk on her face.

"Ya lookie lookie." She jazz hand her arrival.

Tara noticed right away how tired Ava looked and gave Jax and "thank you for looking out for my friend smile." Oh and include to that "I'm gonna give you a mind blowing blow job later because of it." He knew exactly what she was saying and nodded to himself as he left the two women alone.

"Are you hunger?" Tara asked already heading towards the fridge.

"Oh my goodness you are worse than a southern woman." Ava sat at the kitchen table her head resting on the palm of her hand.

"So you would like something to eat?" Tara asked waiting for a response with her head half in the fridge.

Silence.

"Ava?" She looked over her shoulder at the friend lost to a deep sleep still with her head on the palm of her right hand. "This is the only time I'm gonna allow this." Tara told the sleeping Ava and called for Jax.

"Yeah?" he appeared around the corner eyes still on the TV.

"Need you to carry sleeping beauty here to bed."

"Really?" Jax gave her an "are you sure look."

"Yeah well I would do it myself but I have a feeling she is heavier than she looks." Tara winked.

"Hope her hearing is asleep as well." Jax smiled at her as he walked towards the table and scooped up the now snoring woman in his arms. "And" he grunted. "Your right." He headed towards the spare room at the end of the hall, thankfully for them the furthest away from their room.

::

Sleep came easy for some residents of Charming that night, sleep came to those who after mind blowing sex quickly fell forward into satisfied ecstasy, sleep came to those who drank their dreams away, sleep came to those after returning to where they belonged they kissed their children goodnight and whispered a small pray for their safety and sleep even came to those who planned an elaborate escape. Sleep didn't come for those who mourned the death of their husbands.

The bed she laid on was comfy enough with the perfect amount of pillows under her head, it's just it wasn't there bed, or the hospital bed she had become use to.

Rolling around a few times trying to mold her body into the bed that hadn't been slept in for a while she admitted defeat and climbed out of the bed.

Waiting by the crack in the door she wouldn't let her body leave until she was sure that no one else was up. When the cost was clear she took one step followed by another into the empty club house. He sat on the couch that was meant for two and took up the majority of space; her small footsteps had him turning his head to look.

"Little wing" he had no smile on his face but that didn't mean he wasn't happy to see her. "Couldn't you sleep?" He moved over on the couch offering her the cushion next to him, it took her a minute or two to decide if she wanted to sit, she did.

He just stared at her face which was filled with the looks of worry, hurt, heart break, and then he looked up at her mess of greasy blond hair molded around the back of her head with the indents of her pillow.

"We head for Ireland tomorrow." He reached forward for his tumbler filled with ale.

She had heard the talks amounts the men when they assumed she wasn't listening, she knew the plan.

The tapping of her finger began on its own on the arm of the chair, he guessed silently right away what it was, not who's but what, and he was right.

He opened his mouth to say something and found that it wouldn't be enough so he shut it again, eerie quiet filled the club house once again as the two sat content with just being near each other in comfortable silence, one of them drank while the other just thought.

::

No one had actually seen her leave but they didn't need to guess to where she had went, it was David's funeral today and the police station was where it was being held. A few sons, which turned out to be all of them showed up not having planned amongst themselves to arrive together or even if they think that their presence would be welcomed to the funeral of a cop, the jury on that was still out. But one thing that they had all noticed the minute each and every one of them had shown up was the lack of a certain white haired wife. Weird enough it wasn't a biker or a friend who noticed her, it was the re enlisted Police Chief, without drawing attention to himself he excused himself from the service which had just began and crossed the street.

"Hey." Wayne put his hands up to show that he was a friend before he stepped into the gazebo. She sat on the steps facing away from the police station.

She continued to look down as he took a seat next to her. "They probably blame me." Her voice was so horsed he had a hard time believing it came from her.

"Who sweetie?" Wayne looked around wondering if someone was putting thoughts into her head.

"The town." She looked up giving him a grim faced expression.

"What why would they?" But he knew what she was getting at and quickly needed to correct her. "David was an asshole." He was blunt if not honest. "Before you David was a cocky little shit head." He smiled as he spoke. "And then this blonde care free woman stepped into town and suddenly David is opening doors for strangers, coaching kids' soccer teams, making friends with the enemy, stopping each morning to say hi to anyone who was willing to say hi back."

She hugged her legs.

"David became the man he was supposed to be because of you. If this town is going to blame you for anything it's making him the man he became. If the whole town is going to blame you for anything it's giving them a man they could talk to, a man they could depend on, a man they could smile at and get a smile back from. A man they would be proud to call their police chief, so that is what this town can blame you for. It's not your fault he died."

She turned her head to look at him. "Isn't it?"

He knew right then and there that as for right now there was no convincing her otherwise, didn't mean he wouldn't try. "Did you pull the trigger?"

She shook her head. "But if I would have been a good wife I wouldn't have been there in the first place."

"But he would have."

She turned her head away.

"David was a cop and he was doing his job. If you wouldn't have been there his death would have been different." She knew the car was meant for him and would have killed him had she not warned him, or at least made enough noise that made Happy realize what was about to happen.

They listened to the service for a minute as David's mother cried into the mic.

"She doesn't deserve to tell them who he was." Summer looked towards Wayne.

"Well if it was you talking what would you say?"

She fell silent for a second as her brain started to come up with ideas.

"I would tell them…" the words just couldn't come out.

::

Happy stood in the back as a mother mourned the death of her son. He had stared at picture of the officer on the memorial card long enough that when he closed his eyes he would see the man's face. He had done everything he could to save the man's life and still it wasn't enough, he just wasn't enough. The movement of his president was the only thing that made his eyes move off the page where he David Andrew Hale would be immortalized forever. For just a second they all looked, the row of bikers in black leather, as their president cross the street and head towards the daughter who now after avoiding the funeral for most of the service made her way to it.

Happy watched as she took Clay's hand which had been in the police chief's as her hand was passed from one man to the next she nodded her thanks to the older man before giving her father a hint of a smile. He pulled her under his arm and together they walked towards the service.

Happy watched as the two fell in line beside the rest of Clay's men only she continued on. He watched her shoulders stiffen as though she told herself to be strong, he watched as her chin raised as if she told herself not to show fear and he watched as she stepped up to the mic and pulled it away from David's mother, he gave a smile of approval, those in attendance gave a smile of approval.

"I was asked what it would be David would want you to remember about him after he was gone." Her looked at the ground. "I know what David would want me to say on his behalf but I am going to tell you what I would want you to remember of him." Her chin quivered. "He was the funniest person I have ever met. Before him I was the funniest person I knew so trust me I know what I'm talking about." There were a few light hearted snickers. "He made me laugh daily by something that he said or did, on purpose or on accident. I didn't even need to be near him, I could just think about something he had said days before and he would have me laughing. I had promised in our vows to laugh 3 times and his jokes, 1 time when he told it, 1 time after he explained it, and 1 time when I actually got it days later. I kept that promise and he kept with the most ridiculous jokes." There were a few more light hearted laughs. "He had this laugh and smile that alone was contagious, put them together and it was infectious. He could change my mood in a second the moment he laughed or smile or did both" She took a deep breath. "I am not the easiest person to get along with at times. I am like my daddy." She looked at Clay, they all looked at Clay "I'm stubborn and indecisive and I have a very short fuse." Clay nodded in agreement. "But David wasn't, he was patient and calm and forgiving. God he was freaking saint." She barked a sob which broke a few hearts, including her father's. "He always knew the exact right thing to say or do; obviously I gave him a lot of practice." The chuckles continued. "Looking back on the time we had together there is no doubt in my mind of his love for me." She looked away from the crowd for a second. "He was so proud to say that he was from Charming. He was proud that he grew up in the streets, proud as an adult to patrolled these streets, proud that he had a small part in keeping these streets safe. He was excited about raising a family in this town, growing old in this town…" she stopped talking to wipe away a fallen tear. "He loved Charming and the people inside it, even though he didn't show it all the time, Charming ran deep in his heart." She pushed the white locks away from her pale face. "I will never get over the loss of David and I know that some people in this town will also feel the effects of his death" she side glanced David's family. "But eventually it will get easier and eventually the hurt will not be so unbearably. Eventually we will be able to wake up in the morning and not feel like we are drowning in his absence. Eventually it we will find it easier to remember the good times instead of just the moment he was taken from us. Eventually breathing will feel normal again, sleeping will feel normal again, living will feel normal again. But eventually is not today." she dropped her head as the tears rolled uncontrollable down her cheeks. "And today it is unbearable, today feels like I'm drowning, today it hurts to breathe or live or think or talk. Today feels like trying to think of the day when all this pain goes away is hopeless, that day feels too far off in the future that it can't possibly be real." She inhaled and raised her head. "But like yesterday today will come and go and like yesterday tomorrow will come and go and eventually slowly but eventually we will all do what David would want us to, live." She couldn't say anymore as her voice became raw from holding back an ocean of tears so turning away from the crowd she handed back the mic to the awe inspired mother and head to where she belonged, under her daddy's arm.

::

While her father went over flight details with Elliot she hugged herself for warmth instantly noticing the lack of Ava's smiling face to bid her bon voyage.

"She got a little held up." Clay watched her look around grim faced.

But Tara hadn't. The brunette stepped forward but only made it halfway.

"Hey." Tara kicked some invisible dirt away from her foot. "She wanted to make sure you got this." Tara took Summer's hand and placed a tiny envelope in her palm, leave it to Ava to make sure she was heavily medicated.

Summer looked from her hand up to Tara and filled in the distance quickly by throwing her arms around the doctor's neck and squeezing for dear life. Tara had been a life line during her down fall and Summer would be damned if she would ever let go of her again. The sisterhood between them was back on the correct track and nothing I repeat nothing would stand in their way again, but then again.

"Isn't this sweet." A cold voice spoke from a car that had just pulled up. Both girls' heads turned to see the Queen stepping out from the pickup. "We finally kiss and make up." Gemma smirked as she passed the women.

"What are you doing here?" Summer's voice was cold and full of venom, sending a chill through Tara's blood.

"Think I'm gonna let _my_" she made sure to empathize the word my "boys have all the fun." Pulling her sunglasses onto her face she turned away from the women and headed towards the plane.

"Secret for a secret" Summer whispered still holding Tara's hand.

"To the grave." Tara promised.

"To the grave." Summer repeated.

They were still holding hands when Clay called to his daughter.

"I'll bring you back your son." Summer turned to Tara and hugged her once more.

"I know." Tara held tightly.

She handed her a water bottle and watched as the woman swallowed down the only sense of security she had.

"Take care of Ava for me." Summer handed back the bottle of water.

"And you take care of Jax for me."

One last hug and one last call from her father had Summer walking away from Tara one last glance over her shoulder with a wave and then she was gone.

"A secret for a secret" Tara mumbled to herself as she thought of just everything the two women could have but wouldn't lose.

A pact was made that day between two women who had so much to lose, a woman who could lose her future husband if he knew that she was the one who had turned rat on his mother and another woman who could lose her life if the police found out that she had taken another.

::

Just a short one hope you all enjoy..


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"I can't believe that woman hit you." Mrs. Epps otherwise known as Brenda otherwise known as Sack's mom sat across from Ava in the cafeteria wrapping cubes of ice in her scarf for Ava's swollen and purple cheek.

"Yeah." Ava flinched in pain as the movement of her mouth moved the angry bruise on her face.

"Do you know who she is?"

"Yeah I gotta a pretty good idea." She cut her eyes at the thought of Gemma Teller.

"Well I hope you are going to press charges."

"I'm sure with her long list of criminal offenses today assault is the least of her concern." Ava took the multi shades of pink silk scarf and applied it to her cheek.

"I'm actually glad I ran into you today." Brenda sat back in her chair and placed her hands around the steaming coffee cup for warmth. "You had left so quickly from the party that I wasn't able to get any of your contact information."

Ava had planned for that on purpose.

"I wanted to talk to you about the gift you gave us."

Ava grimaced; she knew it was a bad idea.

"Kip had told us how talented you are."

Ava glanced up.

"How he described you is grossly underestimated."

A small smile of relief spread on Ava's face causing her to flinch once again in pain.

"You captured our family perfectly on that canvas. We hung the picture on our mantel."

Instantly Ava saw in her mind the perfect family sitting down for the perfect family dinner at their prefect dinner table under their perfect family mantel, her smile fell.

"One of my dearest friends saw the picture you created for us and she raved for the whole night how talent like yours only comes along once in a life time."

The cynical Ava had returned to the table.

"I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to say." Ava being a southern girl wasn't rude, but she was blunt.

"The one who gushed over your work is actually head of the art department for Sacramento State."

Ava sat back knowing now that this was a pitch at her future. "Mrs. Epps" a throat clear from the other end of the table corrected her. "Sorry Brenda I appreciated what you are trying to do it's just."

"If it's about money."

"It's not the money." For fuck sakes her father was a pharmacist, it was never going to be about the money, her resistance was due to the fact that her art had been only for her and technically Summer and if you wanted to get even more technical then Sack too, by keeping it for a certain few she would never be... rejected.

Mrs. Epps reached for her purse and pulled out a card and slid it to her. "I don't want to offend or upset you."

Ava chewed the inside of her cheek reminding her to be nice.

"My friend's name is Amelia Green give her a call and she can tell you more about the department and the programs that would be best for your sort of talent." As Ava reached for the card Brenda's hand covered hers. "And Ava I would really hate it if you became a stranger to us."

Ava looked up from the hand on hers to the woman with hope in her eyes.

"I can see why my son was falling so quickly in love with you." Brenda held Ava's eyes with hers. "I would really like it if you would consider us a part of your life too."

Ava continued to chew on the inside of her cheek when her cell phone rang.

"Please it might be important." Brenda released her hand and nodded for her to answer the call.

With a small "thank you" smile she reached into her messenger bag and pulled out her cell.

"Hello?" she hadn't recognized the number so she answered with caution.

"Exactly what the fuck did you give my daughter?" A very angry father asked her.

::

Clay could hear Ava excuse herself from her company as he watch the head of his daughter bob up and down as the plane landed in New York for fuel.

"I'm sorry am I interrupting something important?" He was too angry over the state of his daughter to care.

"Yes actually you are. Now I don't see what you are complaining about chances are she is flying pretty high right now." She laughed at her own joke, he did not. Clearing her throat when the joke had obviously flown way above his head she continued "It's nothing that she has never taken before."

"She was hallucinating."

"Is she sleeping now?"

Clay looked at his daughter who had been out like a light for the last hour, who although sound asleep drooling none the less was also shivering and sweating at the same time.

"Yeah." He answered.

"Then I don't see what the problem is." Ava was about to hang up before the throbbing in her check reminded her of what happened earlier. "Oh and tell your fucking bitch of a wife thanks for the broken cheek bone, I'll probably need surgery." Now she could hang up the phone satisfied.

Clay turned to Gemma who was reading a magazine. "You punched her?"

Gemma just shrugged. "You said make it seem real." A few of the men watched interested in their conversation, they were always interested when there was a promise of a girl fight in the making.

"I didn't mean."

"I did the most believable thing, Ava didn't suspect a thing." Happy straightened up. "She didn't see it coming meaning Stahl and the officers wouldn't accuse her of assisting in my escape."

"Her cheek bone is broken you know."

Happy growled, internally that is.

"Sue me." Gemma flipped the page of her magazine. "And I'm sure she is just being dramatic it wasn't that hard."

A few eyes fell down to her swollen knuckles.

The plane began its way down the runaway again. The men and women, okay 1 conscious woman, held onto their harness that held them against the wall of the cargo plane as it began its way into flight. Opie stared ahead of him as a white head of hair bobbed up and down as though the body it belong to had no control of its movement, it didn't. In fact the harness was the only thing keeping it sitting against the wall, if the harness hadn't been there he would have been hit with the full dead weight of a sleeping body, which he wouldn't mind, which he shouldn't be thinking about, which he could kick himself right now in the balls for thinking about, which "AHHHH" he internally screamed "What the fuck is wrong with you?" he asked himself and then reminded himself that her husband had just died, that her baby had just died, which he still held himself accountable for, and lastly and should have been most importantly he reminded himself of Lyla.

Jax watched from beside his step sister as his best friend talked himself through whatever internal struggle he was having at the moment.

"You okay?" he asked Opie with a grin.

"Yeah." Opie mumbled back looking away from the golden brother and sister. "Fucking dandy."

::

Her whole body jerked itself awake only to find darkness that her eyes had a hard time adjusting to. The sensation of not being on solid ground brought on panic, the sensation of falling and rocking brought on even more panic, the snores of men around her ended when the turbulence also woke them up with a sudden jolt.

"Summer" Opie, who had been the only one not to fall asleep, called out her name. He had watched her body jerk itself asleep as the pills began to fade out and saw the panic that her high had left behind. "Summer" he said again his voice familiar and calm.

Her eyes scanned through the dark until she was able to focus on him as he sat forward. Her chest heaved and fell as she fought for air in her lungs, her heart felt painfully fast against her chest wall and the shirt she wore became saturated in her sweat.

"Summer look at me." The minute her eyes shot away from him, he called them back. "Just look at me." Her eyes tried to look away but they couldn't.

"Breath with me baby." He took a slow and deep breath, she took a slow and deep breath, they both took a slow a deep breath. "That's right keep breathing with me." He gave her a reassuring smile and continued to lock his eyes on hers. "In and out" he made encouraging comments as he watched her chest go from heaving to slow rises and falls. It took only about 3 minutes but he had successfully assisted her in fighting off a panic attack. The 3 minutes felt like a lifetime for him but he would gladly do it again, which he would in about an hour when she woke up again.

Clay should have closed his eyes the minute she went silent but instead chose to stare through the darkness at the man who hadn't slept yet, the man who had decided that standing guard over Clay's daughter was more important than sleep. For a second Clay wondered how different Summer's life would have been had he not used her for his own purposes, would she still experience the same heart break as she had with David? Clay glanced away towards his wife who was currently sleeping through the turbulence, there was a fight brewing between his daughter and his wife and he prayed his wife forgave him when it came down for him picking a side, she was a side he would never be able to choose when it was his daughter on the other.

When he looked back at the man who clearly cared for his daughter he found the bearded biker staring back at him.

They gave each other a nod of understand before Clay closed his eyes giving his full trust to the other man when it came down to the welfare of his daughter on this flight.

Opie accepted the responsibility and stretched out his legs preparing himself for a long sleepless flight.

::

Now you didn't have to be Dr. Phil to know that there was trouble developing between the Queen and the Princess. Hell even the pilot who didn't know Clay from Bobbie could feel the icy tension from where they sat. But with priorities on finding Abel this little bitch fest had been pushed to the back burner, or so they all assumed, but as most men forget when a woman wants to deal with their problem, they deal with them at the most inappropriate times. For now however the kettle on Gemma and Summer's problems hadn't boiled over, for now.

Summer hugging in the warmth of the first Sons sweater she had received as she exited the plane first ignoring her step mother's smiling face and concerning questions about her wellbeing. Jax followed Summer giving his mother a confused glance.

"Can you slow the hell down." He jogged to keep up, she stopped. "What's going on with you?" She tilted her head as if she didn't understand the question; he tilted his head to mock her. "You okay?"

She wasn't okay, she was exhausted, she was cold, she was thirsty, she was smelly, she was lonely, and most importantly she was hungry. "Fine." Her face gave a horrible impression of a smile. She turned once again and heading in the direction of the waiting bikes, didn't take a genius to know they were probably waiting there for the men she had come with.

"You must be Clay's." A tall man with thinning gray hair smiled as she approached, he reminded her instantly of most of the men back home, manly men who worked hard jobs for their entire lives but never complained and had the happiest smiles she had ever seen, this man's smile should have made her feel comfortable, instead it left her stomach in knots with distrust. When he realized she wasn't going to answer he nodded towards the truck. "Figure for such a long ride you would be more comfortable in there, with your ma." He nodded towards Gemma who approached with Clay.

"Thanks." She mumbled as she made her way towards the waiting ride.

"Clay" The two men embraced complete with back pats before he reintroduced Gemma to the President of Sambel.

"She's looks like she's a hand full." McGee nodded towards the vehicle and the door that had just shut.

"You have no idea." Clay headed in that direction his hand still on the man's shoulder. "I was a lot less grey before her."

"I believe it brother I believe it." The man laughed as he waved forward the rest of his men. "Because of my Trini I haven't slept a decent night in years." He laughed. "She's also the reason my guns are cleaned, loaded, and ready at the door."

"Wish I would have thought of that when Summer brought her husband home."

After the Introductions were made and a family reunion was cut short the crew of Americans and Irish rolled out, literally, Oswald looking on praying to whoever would listen that this wasn't a mistake he would live to regret, of course it would be.

::

"You thirsty darling?" A man held a bottle of unopened water towards her; she looked at the bottle then the man then away. "Don't talk darling?"

From the front seat Gemma watched in the rear view mirror as her daughter became the eye of every man's affection in the vehicle.

"It's not laced or anything." He held the bottle towards her only this time shaking it as if the movement would make it more appealing.

"No thank you." Her voice was firm as she looked away.

"Well at least you know your manors." He smiled at her. "Scrum" he nodded.

"Scram?" She repeated.

"No you can call me scrum."

"I can call you scum?" Gemma snorted causing the driver to look at her also with a smile on his face.

"Scrum." He repeated slowly but amused none the less. "What can I call you?"

"Nothing." She looked away. "Because we don't need to talk."

"I would rather know your name figures it beats me making one up for you." Clearly he didn't get the "fuck off" in her body language.

"Suit yourself." He placed the unopened bottle on the bench next to her. "Jenny." He nodded you definitely look like a Jenny."

"I think she is more of a Molly." The driver joined in, much to Gemma's amusement.

"Molly" Scrum snapped his fingers. "That's perfect."

Summer didn't join in, in fact she pulled her head phones from her pocket and shoved them into her hears filling her head with music, oh yes the hunger she was experiencing was making her just a tad bit grumpy.

"Molly would you like something to eat." Scrum pulled at a head phone which resulted in a good head jerk away from him which would have resulted in much worse had the vehicle they were in not come to an abrupt stop. She would have cared more about what was happening had she not seen the lush green of the Irish country side peeking through the back window. Seeming to be a typical day in the world of Samcro chaos instantly broken out which should have fazed her but didn't, she used the distraction as a chance to get a closer look at the view she was missing thanks to the truck with its lack of side windows.

It was a view that literally stole the air from her lungs, a view so beautiful she couldn't help but smile, a view so incredible she was afraid to blink for fear that it would vanish. She followed a would be trail down a bit further off from the road till she wasn't able to go any further. Her eyes scanned over the lush green hills, the tiny cabin with its sheep herds, the wild flowers, the rock formations that Mother Nature had created. To say everything was just green would be incorrect, it was heather and forest and olive green, there was grass green and then hints of mint green. David would have loved it. She squatted down at that moment hating the instant emptiness she felt in just thinking his name. Her arms held her tightly as she stared ahead oblivious to the person standing behind her, that was until he till he touched her.

::

He stepped back narrowly missing a swing of her fist. "Jesus Summer." Opie held up his hands to show that he came in peace. "Didn't you hear me?" she made no attempt to apologize, he was the one sneaking up on her, he should be the one to say sorry first.

"I'm not riding in the fucking car with them anymore." She snapped at him, at them, at the whole situation. "I refuse to."

He just shrugged. "K well it's like an hour's ride still." She had planted her feet to the ground with a scowl he had seen many times on his daughter's face. "You think you can last that long on a bike?" He was giving her the option that she needed.

"Really?" she looked at him in disbelief. "You would let me ride with you?"

He nodded like it wasn't a big deal to him, it would be a big deal to Clay and the others but she didn't need to know that.

She nodded back her answer and followed him up the hill to where the men and Gemma were taking care of a would have been bad situation.

"You okay?" Clay saw the telltale signs of distress on his daughter's face and instantly looked at her "guardian" with red filled eyes.

"She just needed some air." Opie slowly put himself in front of Summer. "She's actually gonna ride with me for the rest of the trip."

"I don't think..." But Opie cut Clay off before Clay could voice his thoughts on the matter.

"She's going to ride with me." His voice was firm and final. Clay looked passed Opie to his daughter.

"You up for that?" He sounded softer as he spoke to her.

She nodded. "Yeah." She almost sobbed. "I can't go back in that truck Clay." The tension, the situation, the trip it was all getting to her, she needed this more than he could understand and how could he ever deny his baby girl anything.

"Alright if you need to stop you have to tell me right away." He told Opie even thought it was meant for Summer. "You keep her safe." Clay growled only loud enough for Opie to hear, Opie didn't give Clay the satisfaction of a response.

Gemma entered the truck alone with mixed feelings of shock and jealous, Clay had never given into her that easily.

::

She rested her face on the back of his jacket and found it not as comfortable as the worn leather of his cut, it even smelled different. The would have been peaceful ride was ruined the minute she realized she was looking for comfort in familiar smells that didn't belong to her husband. Her grip around his stomach instantly loosened until he grabbed it firmly with one hand using his touch to tell her to tighten up her hold again, reluctantly she complied.

"How are you doing" he moved his head back so he could be heard even though he needed to shout.

She moved her head towards his ear. "Fine." She shouted back.

"45 minutes left think you can handle it?"

How could it only have been 15 minutes, it felt like a 2, hours that is.

"I'm fine." She told him once again.

"See you still haven't showered." He shouted once again.

"What?" she laughed, the sound of her laughter surprised them both, enough so that neither said a word for a few minutes.

"Seriously though." He started again. "Maybe you should get on that." She didn't laugh this time she did however smile into his back.

As the time slowly ticked by she found it easier to relax as bits of sun broke through the cloud and landed on her face. The warmth from the sun seemed to help warm her body which had been stuck in a permanent freeze since David's death.

"30 minutes" he shouted back interrupting her peace.

"Enough with the fucking time!" she shouted back.

::

Ava woke up the next morning with her sketch book next to her and the card left lying on the open page. She sat up looking at the sign that was literally inches away from her face, as she reached for the small card and her phone to make a life changing call when her phone rang. Eyes wide open she answered.

"Hello?" she sounded a little too cautious.

"Just checking to make sure you aren't dead." It was Happy's voice on the other end; he heard the line go dead. "Guess you're still kickin." He spoke into the dead air.

Ava checking to make sure the call had in fact been dropped, and satisfied that it was, dialed the number to a Ms. Amelia Green.

"Good morning." The woman answered in a voice that sounded as though she was singing instead of talking.

"Uh hi." Ava checked to the card to make sure the right number was dialed. "I'm looking for Amelia Green. My name is Ava I got this number from my..." she didn't know what to say. "I got the number from Brenda Epps."

"Yes!" Ava could have sworn she heard clapping from the other end of the phone. "Oh I'm so happy that you called my dear." "Oh God this was a mistake" Ava instantly told herself, "hang up and hang up now" was also spoken in silence.

"Listen" Ava began giving reason on why she wasn't interested but was cut off.

"My dear I have to say I have never seen talent like yours, it's so raw so full of passion I must see more!" This lady was either an actor in a past life or just very dramatic.

"Um."

"How about 6 and I'll come to you."

Ava wondered for a minute if she was able to object.

"It's settled then what is your address my dear."

After she ended the call she found herself wondering what the fuck had happened, had she really just given her address to that woman? Yes, yes she had.

::

Tara had returned to a spotless house and a cooked dinner, oh and a pacing Ava.

"Uh hi." Tara took off her fall coat and hung it by the door. "What's going on?"

"I'm the one that is holding myself back." Ava was biting her nails. "I'm the one that is afraid of putting myself out there." She wasn't quite looking at Tara as she spoke. "I can do this right? I mean I owe it to myself to do this" Back and forth she went making Tara instantly dizzy, and confused.

"Am I interrupting something?" Tara asked as she sat at the kitchen table only to watch Ava in a surprising and unusual state, panicked.

"My art's good right? Like I'm a good enough artist right?"

Tara shouldn't have been able to answer that because other than Summer's arms she hadn't seen anything else of Ava's. But... "Yeah of course" Tara smiled knowing that on what she had seen it was enough to give a solid answer.

Ava stopped pacing and looked at Tara finger nails still between her teeth. "This lady from the art department of Sacramento State is coming to look at my stuff."

Tara's jaw dropped. "I didn't know you were thinking about school."

"I'm not." she answered quickly. "I mean I wasn't well I wasn't really I mean I guess I always thought in the back of my mind that it would be something I might be interested in..." she shook her head to slow herself down. "Sack's mom knows this lady who saw the drawing I did for their anniversary gift and she is the one that is the head of the art department."

There were too many things Tara would have to question later in that statement, for now she just let Ava continue uninterrupted.

"I called her this morning and she practically forced herself an invitation to come and see my stuff tonight at – "she looked at the clock "- in 10 minutes."

Tara also looked at the clock. "So do you want me to stick around or?"

"What!" Ava was horrified at the idea of Tara leaving. "I need you Tara." This was new to Ava, she had never ever needed anyone before and now she actually said the words out loud she found they left a horrible taste in her mouth. She even went as far as chugging back a cup of water in the attempts of cleaning her mouth out.

"Okay I'm just going to change then." Tara stood giving her room to pace. "Maybe you should sit down and..." The door bell rung.

"Of course the bitch has to be on time." Ava returned her nails to her teeth.

::

Even if you were in the best of moods the weather surround Belfast would be able to change it, luckily for the weather everyone seemed as gloomy as the grey sky. Opie pulled into the lot not yet ready for her to release her arms from around his body but equally ready for her to head towards the shower. He climbed off first after parking between Bobbie and Chibs then extended a hand which was taken only because she need a minute to get her land legs back. She pulled the cotton of her baggy sweat pants very unladylike away from between her legs and kicked the shakiness out of one then the other, all as everyone watched on.

"What?" she looked at Opie who tried his best to block her but judging from the snickers had failed.

"You are just full of class aren't you?"

"Man the complements with you just keep coming." She scowled at him and headed in the direction of her father. The ride must have cleared some of her anger out of her head because for a second she felt a little less annoyed with the situation, with her father, and possible with her step mother. Gemma stepped out of the truck blocking her path, no that anger was still there.

"So my baby girl let's get these things inside so that the men can talk business." Gemma gave her a smile that made Summer's fist clench. That smile of course faded when the click of heals on stone had both women's heads turning in the direction of a petite blonde.

"Gemma." The woman spoke with a thick accent.

"Maureen." Gemma's American accent was thick with possibly jealous, Summer picked up on it right away.

"I have arranged the rooms for you and your men." The woman appeared decent enough in Summer's opinion and anyone who could make Gemma squirm in her boots was beyond okay in Summer's books. She turned to Summer and pulled her in for a tight hug catching both Summer and Gemma off guard. "I'm so sorry lovey." She pulled away from Summer still holding her shoulders at an arm's length so that the old women could have a good look at her. "I knew your mother well. We talked often." Gemma's eyes widened, Summer also noticed that too.

"Thank you." Summer's voice was husky do to its lack of use. "I'm sorry but I don't think she ever..."

"Mentioned me?" Maureen smiled. "I'm not surprised. Your mother liked to keep this part of her life hidden." Her smiled faded back a little. "She was doing it to protect you. But I suppose sometimes the truth just finds its way out." Was this woman confirming what Gemma had said? Summer's head instantly snapped to the side and she saw Gemma's chin rise and her spine stiffen as if to say "I told you so."

"Well then let's get you settled." Maureen patted both of Summer's arms and nodded for her to follow, Gemma stayed behind to smoke a much need cigarette which she lit with shaky hands. Maureen was right; sometimes the truth does just find its way out.

"How much you wanna bet that that fine piece of ass will be sucking my cock by the end of the week." Scrum opened a bottle of beer and flicked the cap in Summer's direction. Liam looked in the direction the bottle cap landed and watched Summer follow his president's old lady up the stairs.

"Clay's daughter?" he asked.

Scrum nodded.

"I'll bet you a hundred she will not give you an ounce of her time."

"You sure about that?" Scrum smiled.

"Ay." Liam nodded.

"Care to place more on the table?"

"No I'll bet what I know you can pay me." Liam reached for his own bottle of beer.

"I have planted the seed with the bitch she was practically all over my junk in the truck."

"Your junk?" Liam laughed into the bottle. "I'm sure she wasn't anywhere near your junk when she was riding on the back of a son's bike."

Scrum's smile dropped a little.

"And I'm sure she wasn't touching your junk with that diamond wedding band on her finger." Liam continued to laugh. "Oh yeah brother this bet is so on."

::


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ava sat on the couch opposite the woman who was possibly stuck in the 60's. Both Ava and Tara actually spent the most of the beginning part of the meeting staring at her trying to figure out if this woman was for real. Her hair was actually stunning and Ava wished that when she is Amelia's age it is the same exact shade of silver. This Amelia woman sat directly in the middle of the couch with the sketch books in her lap slowly flipping each page over by the tip of a corner. She treated the pages like they were fine china and even the most delicate of touches would cause damage. Eventually when the two women warmed up to Amelia and her tie dye pants and orange tunic top they stopped staring at her and more at the pages in the sketch book.

To say that Tara was mesmerized was way understated. Tara had never even known that Ava was capable of this kind of work. Most of it if not all was charcoal with a few pencil sketches thrown in, it was all dark shade of black, grey, white, so far there had been no color.

"Are you not comfortable with the idea of color?" Obviously Amelia picked up on it too.

Ava opened her mouth but the words just stuck in her dry throat so instead she just shook her head.

"These are all quite beautiful." She flipped through portraits of people Ava had found inspiring enough to draw and land marks of Ava's home town, wild life, and trees, seriously disturbing pictures of face with people's tears dripping down the pages to playful owls or bunnies. "You were a beautiful child." Amelia could instantly recognize the woman sitting in front of her to the child roughly sketched on the page. "And who is this?" she looked down at the only page not done in black or grey but in earthy browns and coppers.

"My mom" Tara double glanced at the sketch of the woman on the page looking off into the distance, she had never seen nor heard of Ava's parents and found it interesting to put a face to the Ava's past.

"Your talent is raw." Amelia giggled. "I have to say I've never seen skills like yours for someone who has had such little training." Amelia removed her teal reading glasses and let them fall to her chest thankfully the red beaded cord that held both arms of the glasses stopped them from falling to the floor. "I really hope that you consider what we can offer you Ava."

Tara also looked at Ava begging her with her eyes to say yes.

"Winter semester begins in January that should be enough time to think about it." Amelia closed the book but kept it on her lap. "I think it would be a waste of your talents to let this opportunity go by." Tara nodded without realizing she was nodding, her head stopped moving when Ava's wide eyes locked on hers.

"I appreciate you taking the time to come by." Ava began.

"Please" Amelia stopped her. "Think about our offer before you make a decision."

The woman stood her height towering over the other two women. "I would love to show your work sometime to my colleagues. When you have made a decision please stop by the university with your sketch books."

Ava nodded as she followed the woman to the door.

"Tara you have a lovely home by the way." She had just put on her yellow fall coat and was heading out the door as she gave Tara the complement. "Lesbians always know how to decorate." Ava snorted a laugh as she shut the storm door behind the woman.

"Why do people keep mistaking me for a lesbian?" Tara's jaw was to the floor.

"Maybe it's the hair?" Ava led the way into the living room where she began clearing away the tea cups.

"Do you think?" Tara glanced in the mirror at her locks.

"No." Ava smiled as she passed by carefully as to not drop the tray with its good china.

::

Summer stood in front of the now fogged mirror and used her hand to wipe some of the moisture away. She had allowed the room to fill up with steam before she stripped her clothing off, she had planned on not looking at herself in the mirror but knew that she couldn't hid from her reflection forever so after a deep breath she opened her eyes and looked at her naked body, well as much as she could see due to the size of the mirror. She was thin, too thin, and whatever curves she had been working on getting were now gone again. Her eyes were sunken into deep blue/purple skin and her cheeks seemed pointed and sharp, she inhaled a sob when her hands moved down to her belly, the skin was tight over nothing but internal organs. There was a sharp knock on the door that caused her to jump.

"Seriously Summer it's been like an hour!" Juice yelled through the door. "How could it possibly take this long to shower?" She ignored him but had to agree maybe it was time she got herself cleaned, stepping into the stream of near scolding hot water she closed her eyes as the heat and pressure melted away the tension in her shoulders. Her head fell back so the water could penetrate her unwashed locks and instantly she felt herself loosen up. The shampoo that Ava had packed filled the room with the scent of peppermint, lavender, and tea tree, which used twice.

"Summer!" Juice continued to kick the door. "I swear to God!"

"I'm sure there are other bathrooms!" she screamed back making everyone in the tiny gathering room look at the door. Juice turned from the door to the men who were busy playing cards, this was the first he had heard her talk in a while as she only picked a few lucky souls to vent, attack, or confide in.

"If you don't open this door in two minutes!" He continued now only just to get a reaction out of her.

"You'll what?" She screamed back.

It was as she was finishing up in the shower that the door came off its hinges.

::

"Summer coming?" Jax asked Opie as they stepped down into the parking lot filled with smells that could make any mouth water.

"She's drying her hair or some shit." Opie glanced back up to the building they had just come from as if he could see through walls.

"You don't mind playing baby sitter?" Jax pulled two bottles of beer from the waiting cooler and handed Opie one first before he opened his own.

"Nah." Opie flicked the cap and turned to watch the festivities begin to kick off. "Pretty sure I can handle it." The bottle hid his smirk.

"Well looks like you're up." Jax nodded to the stairs and his sister that slowly walked down them. "Remember shit head she's my sister." Jax patted him heavy on the chest before he left him.

It was the promise of food in the air that had her venturing out from her room where she, for the last few hours had been hiding away from and social encounters, but her stomach couldn't hold out any longer.

Opie took a few steps to meet her at the bottom step but was cut off by a Sambel brother.

"Well Molly I have to say you clean up well."

She scowled at him as she squeezed past him and the zero amount of space he left between the stairs and freedom.

"Oh so it's going to be like that." He followed as Opie closed in the distance.

"I don't know how to be any clearer." She turned to face this Scrum with her back to Opie. "You're wasting your time. I'm not that interested."

"That interested." He took a step forward giving her a look that had this been another time in her life she probably would have blushed. "So you admit it you are a bit interested."

She took a step back into the chest of a Samcro brother. Scrum looked past her body above her head and into the face of a biker who didn't appreciate anything he was doing.

"You okay?" Opie growled down to Summer.

"Never better." She rolled her eyes as she moved away from his body and headed towards the food table. "And my name isn't fucking Molly." She mumbled.

"She yours?" Scrum took a step back.

"Yeah." Opie continued with the growl.

"Sorry man I didn't know." He put his hand deep in his pocket and slowly turned away from the biker, of course when did it ever matter to him when something he wanted belong to another brother.

Now Summer had two things on her list of to do's; eat and talk to Maureen. So as she looked around for her father and her "family" she also looked around for the woman she had met hours ago.

"You look lost love." The President of this chapter made her jump.

"I'm looking for Maureen." She smiled back at him and the plate of food he had waiting in his hand for her.

"Maureen?" He asked and she nodded. "Mo doesn't do parties; chances are Jack has put her to sleep tonight."

"Jack?"

"Jack Daniels love."

"Oh." She looked defeated once again.

"But you could run whatever it is by me maybe I could help."

"Doubt it." She took the plate he was extending and began to walk away. "Thanks." She turned just as her manors returned. "And I'm sorry about earlier." She gave the tiniest of smile and headed towards the dark part of the parking lot where she had spotted her family.

"Summer" Gemma stood up the moment she saw her approach.

"Gemma." Summer acknowledged back and sat down next to Bobbie who gave her a welcoming nod.

"You look better." Gemma slowly sat down once again beside Clay keeping her eyes on the woman finally out of sweats and in jeans and a long sleeved thermal shirt.

"Thanks." She spoke to the plate as she ripped her chicken from the bone, she also continued the s of thanks making her sound like a snake, Bobbie laughed, Summer smirked.

"I don't know about you but this jet lag." Gemma yawned dramatically and when her husband didn't catch on she yawned again only this time a tad louder and an elbow to his face bigger.

"Oh right." Clay smiled causing Summer and Bobbie to watched her father and step mother stand. "Summer if you need anything at all."

"I will not be coming to you." She looked back at her plate pretending to stab at the fingers working their way onto it. Bobbie half cried out in show and his fingers retreated locked around the prize of her torn chicken.

"You stick with Bobbie or find Jax or Opie if you need anything." He warned her before heading upstairs with her fair weathered mother.

"Sure thing" she saluted him with her fork.

"You might have to find the other ones if things go my way." Bobbie was looking in the direction of a young blonde.

"You are like triple her age." She gave one glance then looked down at the plate.

"Age is just a number baby." Bobbie stood up to make his move giving Summer a kiss on the cheek before he left. "Age is just a number." He reminded her before leaving her completely alone.

She actually didn't mind being alone, being so far away from the "party" no one noticed her, having given a horrible first impression to most of the men here, no one cared enough to waste their time on what they believed to be a bitch, so in the dark and alone she was able to fill her belly in peace, till she watch the blonde reject Bobbie and make a move for her brother.

With a sway of her hips that would make Ava proud she crossed the parking lot to the circle of men preparing for a fight.

"Excuse me darling." She cut in front of the blonde pulling the boxing tape out of her hands. "I actually got this." With a look that would put Ava to shame Summer began tapping up her brother's hands.

"Really?" Jax smirked. "You jealous or something?"

"Of what?" She made sure the tape was boarder line tight. "I am simply doing this as a reminder."

"Of?"

"Tara."

Jax cut his eyes at her but smiled at the same time. "So you have cut all loyalties to me?" he laughed.

"Yes." Her face was dead serious. "She is speed dial #3 and I will call her in the blink of an eye."

"Who's number 1?"

Her face went from serious to broken and instantly he knew the playful banter was over. "Shit Summer I'm sorry."

With a shake of her head she finished wrapping his hands and stepped away from him.

"Would me getting my ass kicked make you feel any better?"

She simply nodded.

He barked a laugh. "How about if I kick the shit outta that guy who's been drooling over you?" Her head snapped up and she watched Scrum get his hands tapped up by the clubs VP.

"Maybe but don't damage the face too much; it seems to be all that's going for him."

"Whatever you say sis." Jax planted a kiss on her forehead and turned away from her, his face connecting with another man's fist.

::

Fighting had never caught Summer's fancy so as the blood and fists started flying she retreated back to the safety of her dark corner, except it was now occupied.

Opie slid a beer her way as she sat down at the picnic table, now that there was food in my stomach she was okay to drink, or so she would tell herself.

"You smell a hell of a lot better." He sounded as he always did, serious.

"Yeah thanks." She turned her back to the fight which meant she was facing him. "Lyla with the kids?" She dropped her eyes to the bottle and began picking at the label.

Opie just nodded.

"How are they doing?" she continued to pick.

"Good." Opie watched her fingers go to work. "They are worried about you."

She stopped picking.

"We are all worried about you."

"You survived it so I guess I'll be just fine." She started to pick again.

"I only survived it because of you." He pulled the bottle of from her hand so that they could converse without distractions.

"You survived because you had to for your children." She looked up at him through her lashes causing the purplish blue bags around her eyes to appear darker.

"I survived because you forced me to remember what I had." They stared at each other. "You don't have to go through this alone Summer."

"I'm not alone." She snapped her words and grabbed back her bottle. "I have Ava and Tara." She looked down at the bottle in her hand. "And my father." She finally added.

"And you have me." Clearly he wasn't done with this conversation.

"I don't want you." He was almost knocked back by the truth. "Haven't you figured it out yet?" She stood up to leave. "You are where you belong with you children and with Lyla. You don't belong with me."

"Don't I have a choice?" he watched her begin to walk away.

"I've made it for you." She told him over her shoulder.

::

"Your brother packs a punch." She sighed and not a happy to hear you sigh when she heard his voice approaching from behind.

"I promise you mine is worse." She turned to see the man with a bloody cheek and a split lip. "Shit." Her face instantly hurt she when saw him.

"That bad?" He dug his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans as if this was incredibly awkward for him.

She nodded.

They stood for a minute facing each other before he went to reach behind her. She jerked her body away before she noticed the ice he was reaching for. "Here let me help." Her volunteering shocked both of them.

"So that's the trick." He smiled grimacing in instantly from the pain. "Get the shit kick outta myself and your all hugs and kisses."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh maybe I just feel sorry for you." She wrapped the ice in his t-shirt and handed it to him.

"At least I got you feeling something for me." He held the pack she prepared to his face and hissed the minute it touched his skin.

"Do you have a real name?" she reached forward adjusting the ice pack to the part of his face the needed it most.

"You aren't feeling Scrum?" He smiled again only to feel the pain a second later. "Dillon."

"Dillon?" She repeated. "See now that is worlds better than Scrum." She tried hard not to smile but ended up failing giving him a half smile on the left side of her face.

"Was that possibly a smile?"

"No" But the smile stayed.

"So I know that you can smile but can you dance?"

Her smile disappeared. "I don't dance."

"You look like you dance." He didn't notice the change in her body language. "And I bet you're an amazing dancer." He took a step forward the bundle of ice on his face covering up his left eye.

"I don't dance." If he hadn't seen the change in her, he definitely heard it. Dillon took a confused step back.

"Shit I'm sorry." He gave her an apologetic smile and a hiss thanks to the movement of his cheek. "I bet you're an even better talker than you are a dancer." He finally said after a moment of silence.

"I'm surprisingly worse." She reached forward and readjusted his ice bundle once more. Her gentle touch saying more than enough.

"How about I start over?" He extended the hand that was holding the ice pack to his face; with a smile he quickly switched the ice to the other hand, the right. "Dillon." She looked at his hand and then up at him before placing her left hand in his. "Summer."

It was around this time that Opie had decided it was his turn in the boxing ring.

::

"You have the best accent I've ever heard." Dillon sat with his back to the clubhouse building and his legs stretched out in front of him, inhaling once he handed her the cigarette.

"Thanks." She inhaled once herself before handing it back. She faced him cross legged with a safe distance between them, and by safe I mean you could probably put a building between them. "Do you know anything about America?"

Scrunched his nose he shook his head. "All I need to know is here on this island." His knuckles tapped on the ground.

"I'm not from this island."

"But you're on it now." He smiled causing her to feel warmth spread throughout her body. "God do women actually fall for your shit?" She took a sip from her beer hoping it would cool the heat in her body.

"Typically but when all else fails I let their brother's use me as a punching bag. That normally gets their attention."

"How many times has it worked?"

"Let me see." He looked up at the sky and began to count. "Including you?"

She nodded and he restarted the count.

"Uh so including you." He counted again on his fingers. "Once."

She laughed her full belly laugh that could be heard through the whole parking lot party.

"Course I'm probably going to be getting a lot worse once your husband gets through with me."

"My what?" her face snapped back to serious.

Dillon nodded towards Opie's scowling face.

"He isn't my husband." She cut her eyes at the man who glared back.

"But you're married?" Dillon picked up her left hand thumbing the engagement ring and wedding band; like she had been touched by fire she pulled her hand back to cradle the invisible burn. "Is he a member?" Dillon looked around as if he had missed someone, during the time he took his eyes off of Summer she had left. "Hey wait up." He climbed to his feet and began to pursue. She was already half way across the lot by the time he caught up. "Did I say something wrong?" He seemed sincere in his concern.

"This is a mistake." At least she turned to face him as she rejected him. "I don't want you to think that I'm into you or interested in you or anything else that you could get mixed signals from."

"Hey, hey" he put his hands up. "It's cool." He gave her a smile that tried to say what his words had. "Whoever he is he is a really lucky guy."

She turned to let out a heart breaking sob; she had to get the hell out of here.

"Shit are you crying?" she heard him ask but she left before she would ever answer.

::

Summer had torn the bag apart in her search for something to numb the pain, she knew Ava would have planned and prepare for this, and she just needed to find the right hiding spot.

"You okay?" A man asked from her doorway as pieces of her clothing went flying by.

"Do I look okay?" she didn't turn to see who it was, and then it hit her. "Juice!" she shrieked.

He froze like he had done something wrong.

"I need you." She crawled from one side of the bed across then scrambled to her feet in order to get to him.

The closer she got the more he saw the panic on her face. "You need me?" he spoke slowly in order to not stutter.

"It hurts so bad Juice." She clenched his cut in her fist and held on for dear life. "I need you to make it stop hurting."

"Summer I don't." he was going to say understand but stopped as her hands started digging into the pockets of his clothing. "Wait what exactly do you need from me?"

She pulled what she was after out of his back jeans pocket. "I just need to forget for a while." Tears dripped off of her chin as she looked at him. "Please Juice."

He nodded and took her by the hand leading her towards the back door. "Oh and it goes without saying that Clay never finds out about this."

::

Ava woke early the next morning her phone glued to the palm of her hand. As she stretched out to loosen her still tired body she turned to her phone prepared to dial when it rang.

"Hello?"

"What are you wearing?" The man asked.

She hung up.

Tara ran by a flash of mint green before she back tracked to the room she had just passed.

"You're up early." Tara stood in the doorway.

"I was hoping Summer would call."

"It's like 10 hours ahead. I'm sure she is just confused with the jet lag and all."

"8 hours and your probably right." Ava threw the phone onto the green and blue bed spread.

"I have a lunch break at 11 you wanna met up?"

Ava kicked the blanket away from her body. "What time is it anyways?"

"5"

"Eww." She pulled the blanket back on. "See you at 11." she yawned and was back to sleep before Tara could wish her a good day.

::

Morning had come and gone in Ireland and still Summer stayed tucked away under the covers of a strange bed. There had been a few knocks from her father and step mother checking to see if she was alright but those went unanswered. Juice tried his hand at getting her to come out of the room but he did no better than her parents, eventually though her bladder forced her up.

"Well, if it isn't Sleeping Beauty herself." Her mother smirked behind a coffee cup.

She pretended not to notice the men preparing themselves for no less than a battle as she crossed the living room to the bathroom.

"Can you please be nice to her today?" Clay sat forward butting out his cigar.

"Are you saying I'm not nice?" Gemma lit her own smoke.

"Just try to be sympathetic for once."

"Oh please if there is anyone who knows what she is going through it's me."

The bathroom door swung open.

"Can I just put myself up in a hotel?" she asked her father from the door way.

"No consider this family time." He smiled at her then at his wife.

"Well then you know what?" She looked at the men as she walked by. "It's called fucking flushing." She headed back into her room shutting the door with a little too much force.

"Yeah you jerks." Chibs told the men around him making his voice sound rather feminine. A few men snickered at his impression but continued to pack their guns.

"You hear anything from Opie or Jax?" Clay nodded to the smiling Chibs who still smiling at his own joke shook his head.

"I wanna know the second they call." Clay stood stretching his long legs a second before his daughter opened her door once again only this time dressed for the day.

"Where you going?"

"Out of this hell hole." She headed towards the door.

"Not alone you aren't." Course when would that ever stop her?

Her closing the door was the only thing Clay heard as a response.

"Just try to be sympathetic for once." Gemma reminded him as she sipped her mug of coffee.

::

"Afternoon darlin" Dillon pushed himself away from his bike and his conversation with fellow brothers when he saw her shut the door, taking a few steps to meet her at the stairs he gave her some distance as what happened last night was still heavy on his mind. "You look like your heading somewhere."

She looked back up at the door expecting it to open soon. "Is that your bike?" She nodded to the one he had just left.

"Sure is darlin." He saw the way she was looking at it. "Why?"

She looked back at the door one last time. "Wanna go for a ride?" she looked back at him. "Now?"

"Oh I don't." he was about to say know but she interrupted him.

"Please." She looked from him to the door.

"Alright come on love." He handed her the only helmet he had and climbed on first starting the bike up as his brother watched on shaking their heads. "Is your father gonna kill me for this?"

"Scared?" she climbed on next pulling herself close to him.

"Yeah a little"

Now this whole interaction lasted only seconds so it was no surprise to Summer that the moment she got onto the bike the clubhouse door flew open and her very angry father began sprinting down the stairs. She looked back one last time as he approached, luckily for her and for Dillon they were already pulling out into traffic.

::

She hugged him as tightly as she could and placed her left cheek into his back and prayed to God he would slow down, he didn't, course he was trying to show off. She could feel her cell phone repeatedly vibrate in her chest pocket of her flannel button up and knew he would feel it against his back, but they both ignored it and he rode on leaving Belfast in his dust. A few times he would point out something she would have to look at and every time he did she was grateful that she hadn't missed a historical land mark or beautiful piece of scenery, everything he pointed out was something only a local would know, that the travel books had either not noticed or had deemed unimportant, to her they were though. This was the way to see the country side she decided, mind you she would have wished for her husband's company. She seemed to squeeze the man she hugged tighter the second she thought of her husband which made her driver look back at her.

Her flinches made him slow down and move the bike onto the shoulder. "You okay?" She was quickly wiping at her eyes trying to blame the wind for the tears.

"Here" He pulled his sunglasses off of his face and handed them to her. "That way I won't know your crying." She took the glasses from his hand and held them without putting them on.

"I'm not crying." She bit her bottom lip.

"And I don't wanna kiss you." He looked at her bottom lip.

"Listen." She put her hand up feeling her stomach flop.

"It's alright you're a married woman I get it." He leaned against his bike crossing his legs in front of him. "Just cause I wanna do something doesn't mean I'm gonna do it."

She kicked away some rocks with her toe of her boots and hugged herself tight as an invisible chilly wind blew through her flannel button up.

"Here" He removed his leather jacket and handed it to her; by the time this day was over she would have everything from his body.

Feeling a little embarrassed about how she was acting towards him she took the jacket and watched as he slid his cut back on over his blindingly bright white t-shirt, k she mostly watched the gap of skin between his boxers and the lower part of his shirt that became exposed as he slid his cut back on.

"That's a good look for you darlin." His eyes moved slowly up her body stopping on his leathers.

"What?" She looked down at her leggings tucked into her boots that were tied at the ankle by her laces to the dark plaid flannel that came down mid-thigh.

"My clothes on your body." He smiled climbing back onto the bike. "Now if you're ready to continue I think I would like to head out before your father drives by."

She looked over her shoulder seeing a group of bikes in the distance. "He's not really gonna hurt you." She felt the need to reassure him. "You know that right?"

"I'd hurt me if I were him." Dillon started the bike and nodded for her to climb on. "Especially with what I have in store for you."

::


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

She was in the midst of a sea of green with her arms stretched high above her and the whole Irish world in front of her.

He watched her swing through the ruins of what was probably a window that had become over grown with trees, shrubs, and other growth and found he was in awe of her. There are moments in your life where you meet someone who is more than just a "hi how are you lets fuck then talk about it never" sometimes you met the one. He was beginning to believe that he was having that moment with the woman in front of him who was surprisingly skilled in the art of climbing trees.

"Throw me your phone I'll take a picture." He shouted up to her from his bike.

"What?" she was too high in the ruins of a great house or possibly mini castle to hear.

"I said." But the phone hitting him in the chest stopped him from talking, she laughed at her own joke.

Opening her prepaid generic phone he saw a glimpse of her in a different light on possibly her wedding day being dipped into a kiss by a man who wasn't here. He looked only for a second at her picture before clicking onto the camera.

"Spy much?" she shouted down at him.

"Your American phones are hard to figure out." He tried to make up a plausible excuse.

"Right" she pulled her back to lively and untamable locks into a top bun. "Where do you want me?"

"In my bed." He mumbled as he pointed towards the window just above him. "Better light up there." He said much louder.

Of course he only said it so that he could watch her body snake its way through the branches, she had removed his jacket the minute she started to climb and every so often her shirt would rise giving him a glimpse of ghostly pale skin, being a red blooded male, skin was skin so it didn't matter that it was three shades past death white.

"Climb a lot of trees in your life?"

"You could say that."

"Tell me about your life back in America. Were you a hell raiser as a child cause you seem like you would be?"

She continued to climb till she made it to the window and the branch perfect for sitting on.

"I'd rather not."

"Rather not what?" he snapped the picture; he snapped a few to be honest.

"Talk about my life."

"Why?" he looked away from the phone and the picture he just took.

She didn't answer in fact she looked away from him and back out into the landscape, the thought of getting to know someone all over again seemed utterly exhausting.

"How about I tell you about my childhood? Maybe that will motivate you to speak."

She stared at the man with raven black hair that he kept closely shaven to his skull. He looked up at her with eyes so blue they could show the Caribbean the real meaning of ocean blue and he gave her a smiled that could probably con a con man.

"Why do we need to know everything about each other?" She kicked out from the window and landed on her feet with a thud. "Does it really matter what I did 10 years ago?"

"It would be nice to know that you weren't some psycho serial killer 10 years ago." He smiled tossing her back her phone.

"Well seeing how I would be 15."

"Shit you're just a baby." He followed her to a patch of green grass and sat down like she had.

"I'm actually not that young considering."

"Trust me you're a baby."

"How old are you?"

"29."

She laughed causing him to smile a genuine smile; the tension in the air around them seemed to lessen a smidge. "And 4 years is so much different?"

He nodded "I've had a chance to experience more."

She plucked up a blade of grass as he leaned back on his palms.

"There wasn't a lot in the forms of entertainment where I am from, well not like there is now a days. If we were bored we had to figure out a way to amuse ourselves."

"Did you have a good childhood?"

She nodded. "You know how some people say that they would never for a million dollars go back and relive their childhood."

He nodded, he was one of those people.

"I would give all that I have to go back." She threw the grass off to the side.

::

Ava walked into the office of Dr. Tara Knowles just as the woman hung up the phone.

"You okay?" Ava slumped herself down into the chair opposite the doctor and watched the woman wipe away a tear.

"Yeah just miss him that's all."

"Any word on when they will be back?" Not able to handle the emotional distress of others Ava nervously drummed her fingers on the desk of the doctor.

Tara shook her head and reached for a Kleenex to blow her nose. "He said that they met with some priest that may know something but so far everyone's being real mum on the whereabouts of my son."

Ava shook her head and exhaled a breath. "I still can't believe that someone would actually take Abel it just seems so."

"Fucked?" Tara suggested.

"Fucked" Ava agreed.

"And then I have to act as though Abel's life is in the hands of the FBI and shit because if they catch wind that Samcro left the country then that goes against their bond and they are back in Stockton."

"They are going back in there anyways aren't they?"

"Is it possible for you to not always be the reminder of bad news?" Tara cut her eyes at the truth teller across from her.

"Can we just eat please?" Ava was done with conversation and was beginning to rise from the chair.

"I honestly don't know how we are friends." Tara grabbing her purse from her desk but gave a smile to show that she didn't mean the words she had just spoke. "Seriously please explain." Ava's vibrating phone interrupted their banter.

"Oh you love me" Ava told Tara as she answered the phone.

"She left with some guy." Clay's angry voice told her.

"What? Who?" She stopped walking.

"Summer left on some guy's bike like 4 hours ago." She could hear Clay pacing.

"Calm down papa bear I'm sure that."

"No Ava you aren't getting it she climbed on the back of someone's bike and took off."

"Uh I think I do get it Clay." Tara shot her a look that told her as soon as the phone was off Ava would need to explain everything. "She is acting out she is pushing her limits as well as yours, consider this the first stop in fatherhood, establishing patience and boundaries." The two women continued on their way to the hospital cafeteria.

"I don't need parental advice."

"Oh but you do Clay. Best advice?" She asked and he mumbled a "yes." "You need to talk to this man who took your daughter out. Make him think that you are cool with the idea of him spending time with her. Make him believe that you truly think that Summer would benefit by being close to another... what do you call the guys in your little gang?" She asked Clay.

"By their names." His voice was cold.

"Clay obviously I don't know his name."

"Scrum." He growled.

"Excuse you?" Ava semi blessed his possible sneeze.

"No his name is Scrum."

"Oh sweet baby Jesus." Ava laughed. "Anyways I would talk to this Scrum fellow and play to his ego, a beautiful woman possibly interested in him who just happens to be the daughter to a first 9."

Clay was impressed with how quickly Ava was picking shit up.

"As original member from the mother charter you must have something you can offer him in exchange for his either disinterest in your daughter or information on her wellbeing while she is in his "care" for lack of a better word."

"Do I really want to know all the details?"

"She isn't gonna fuck him if that's what you're worried about." Ava, never one to shy away from the truth.

"Well yes I am actually worried about that." She could hear Clay stop pacing. "Hold on." He instructed Ava, and she clearly listened to him while she watched as Tara held up a sandwich that seemed appealing.

"You miss me yet?" Happy's voice came onto the line.

She ended the call and stuffed the phone into the back pocket of her cut off shorts. "Don't forget the hot sauce." Ava reminded Tara as the doctor went to pay.

::

The two girls sat eating their lunch in casual conversation but there was something that Tara had to bring up that wasn't "casual."

"How long have you been giving Clay advice?" Tara needed to address a problem.

"I don't know." Ava shrugged as she took a bit of her hot sauce doused chicken salad sandwich. "Why?"

"Do you think Gemma knows?" Tara put her sandwich back on its plastic wrap. "Because I'm sure she isn't thrilled with the idea."

"Should I care?" Clearly Ava didn't.

"Gemma broke a girl's nose with a skateboard because she and Clay got a little too friendly."

"Well I'm not sucking his cock." Ava took a sip of her coke.

"God I hope not." Tara scrunched her nose at the thought.

"Oh I need you to be a reference for me." Ava barely had her drink swallowed before she started to speak again.

"A reference for what?"

"I applied for a job today."

"What where?" Tara sipped her diet Pepsi through a straw.

"At the gas stop just outside of Charming."

"Why?" Tara sounded a little more snobby then she would have liked. "I mean."

Ava smirked as she bit into her sandwich. "Because I can't live off of my daddy forever. Time I grow into my adult hood."

"What about school?" Tara reminded her that she was very much Pro-Ava's education.

"That my dear is a dream. We..." Ava pointed between herself and Tara "my love live in a place called reality. Reality requires money and money requires a job and a job requires you as a reference."

"Yeah well of course I'll give you glowing words but I really think that school is."

"Not going to happen Tara." Ava's voice became firm. "I can't afford to ask my daddy for help now, not when I've worked so hard at not to make a life on my own."

"But."

"Please Tara just drop it."

They were in a Mexican standoff, a stare off of epic proportions, Tara lost. "Sure." Tara put her hands up in defeat.

"I also think I've found an apartment." Now this was news that Tara would for sure object to.

::

"I think we should probably get you back." They had watched the sun hang from midday then go to nearly setting all from their hidden ruins of the would have been beautiful home.

"Yeah." She sighed wiping her grass stained finger tips on her leggings and standing so the piles and piles of pulled blades of grass fell around her to the ground.

"You just killed a good meal for the sheep." He nodded towards the flock a few hundred yards away.

"I'm sure they won't starve." She laughed her light as air laugh.

"Can I be honest?" They began heading back to the bike.

"Would it matter if I said no?" She kept her distance from him.

"I don't really think I'm ready to go back yet." He took his helmet and handed it to her, reluctantly she took it.

"Can I be honest?"

"I assume you will be." He watched her hold the helmet against her stomach.

"I'm not either." She looked at the ground kicking away a rock before she glanced up at him with a small smile that formed of the left side of her face.

"Do you trust me?" he climbed on his bike and looked at her.

"I probably shouldn't." She put the helmet on her head.

"Good enough for me." He started the bike after she climbed on. "Yesterday when you said you didn't dance, you were lying right?" He revved the engine before she could answer.

::

There were very few things you could hear over the engine of a Harley when you sat atop it, the music from the club he had taken her to was one of those things, if not the only thing that could bet the sound of his bike. Pulling to the curb in front of the line of waiting patrons he cut the engine and the full effect of the music kicked in. He took her helmet then her hand and led her to the front of the line where a quick pat on the back hug to the bouncer with a clip board had them cutting the line of a hundred or so and throw into the clubs belly. The music was like a bass drum in her chest and the lights were almost blinding when every so often they hit her right in the eyes. The whole place was a gigantic extreme stimulation of her senses, so much so that she had forgetting or maybe neglecting to care about the tiny fact that he was still holding her hand. He could sense her over whelming need to take flight from this crowded place but refused to let her so instead of comforting her anxiety he forced her to face it. She may have been hesitant about the crowded dance floor he was leading her to but she didn't fight either. Bodies bumped into them as they made their way towards the middle, heat and sweat from the other people coated her clothing and by the time she reached his destination she was near soaked. She looked around at the bodies moving to the music, laughing, singing, having fun and then at the man who still held her hand. She couldn't be sure if it was her heart pounding against her chest or the bass from the music, either way she liked it. She felt as if she was free falling and any second now she would hit ground or water or who cares, this was different from her normal feelings, this was total loss of control, this was freedom. For the first time since God decided to create havoc in her life she found herself free.

He let her hand fall to her side and reached forward looping his finger around one of the buttons on her flannel shirt and used it to pull her forward, she let her body move.

"I saw you with him yesterday." His lips brushed against her ear, chills ran down her skin. "I saw what you were doing last night." Even with the loud music she could hear him crystal clear; maybe it was due to the fact that his lips on her skin had her nerve endings working in hyper over drive. "I can make you forget better than he can." His lips moved from her ear to the spot just under her lobe, her neck. Her eyes closed as her head tilted towards him exposing more skin for him to discover. At some point together they started to move to the music, she hadn't even noticed the point where she went from stationary to dancing. As his lips grazed her skin one of his hands moved to her hair, his fingers twisting in her locks. She could feel the small sting at the root ends of her hair as her hair became wrapped around his wrist and the painful tug as he pulled her head exactly where he wanted it, course it should have been painful but really it was liberating. She looked into his dilated pupils knowing her own would be giving herself away as to what she needed and wanted. "Do you trust me?" He asked her once again. With a smile she shook her head no. With a smile he raised his fingers showing the tiny white pill between them. "I'll help you forget whatever you need to forget." She followed the pill as it moved closer his fingers waiting until she told him how far she was willing to go to forget. She shook her head no as the tips of his fingers touched her bottom lip, instantly he pulled back ready to put it away, he would have had she not grabbed his wrist. The whole time their eyes remained locked on each other, the whole time they stared only at each other as her fingers removed the tiny pill from his and brought it up to his mouth, the whole time they stared at each other as his lips opened and she placed the tiny white pill on his tongue, their eyes remained locked until her lips moved onto his and her tongue pushed forward retrieving the tiny white pill from his mouth and returning it back to her mouth. The pill had been swallowed and still the kiss continued long after the fact.

::

She was roasting from the inside out, she needed to get out of this club and most importantly she needed to get these clothes off of her, problem was he wasn't ready to leave or maybe he just didn't notice her need to leave, did she say she wanted to leave? Had she acted like she wanted to leave? Leave? Her words made no sense inside her head and other then the immense amount of heat produced in her body nothing else made sense. Her body seemed to be moving on her own as she looked down at her legs, and then that left her with a whole other series of questions; how are they able to move? How are they able to hold her body up? Are they really that skinny? She let her head fall back onto his shoulder and found the answer to one of her questions; his body was clearing supporting the weight of hers as he held her up, hence how she was able to stand. Sweat coated her hair to her neck which he peeled away exposing her skin once again. She closed her eyes still able to see the bright lights of the club on her closed lids waving in time with the music, every movement her body made released another burst of color on her closed lids every touch he placed on her sent yellows and pink sparks exploding behind her closed lids. Her hands pulled at the buttons on her shirt praying for relief to the heat that would possibly and probably cook her alive.

"Let me help you." He whispered into her ear.

She nodded her need in him to help her.

"I think we need to get you out of her."

She nodded her need for him to help her once again.

"Come on love let's get you somewhere a little less crowded."

He took her hand to lead her away only she didn't move; in fact she pulled him back to her pressing her chest up against his, her palm cupped his cheek rubbing back and forth over the few day old scruff. Her eyes stayed focus on his as she lost herself to his ocean blues. She opened her mouth to speak, breathe, anything but couldn't make sense of words and luckily for her breathing was an involuntary action. Her lips fell on his once again with a passion she had forgotten she was capable of having. In the middle of a crowded dance floor in the heart of Belfast she claimed this still technically a stranger as hers.

::

Movement from the club happened pretty quickly at that moment, she must have blinked because she missed when they went from club to ally. She must have blinked because she missed the moment they went from kissing to fucking.

Her head was back against the brinks of another building and she found herself was gasping for air as he thrusted in and out of her. Her wrists were held tightly above her head and she had her legs wrapped around his waist. He was growling with exertion as he moved in and out of her, her whole weight being supported by his one free arm, most importantly though, where the hell was her shirt.

"Stop." The world righted itself after she put two and two together.

He stopped mid pump and looked at her releasing her wrist with a half-smile half confused look on his face. Her hands instantly covered her mouth as tears pooled in her eyes.

"Get out." Her hands muffled her words.

"What?" he smiled a smile that probably had girls heart set a flutter.

"Get out!" her voice cracked with a sob.

Pulling himself out he continued to hold her as her shaky legs found the pavement again.

"Don't touch me" she turned away from hugging herself for warmth as her body went from boiling to freezing in about as much time as it took her to realize she was cheating on the memory of her husband.

"Summer" he sounded confused and he sounded hurt. "Did I do something..."

"This was a mistake." She took the shirt he was holding out to her, pulling it over her head she still wouldn't be able to escape him as his smell filled her nose. "I don't want you anywhere near me." She took a step away from him as the tears began to fall. "I love my husband" she left the ally all together and started in the direction she prayed was to the club house.

She covered her mouth again as she walked away from the man and leaving her morals behind in the parking lot, it had only been this morning that all evidence of her miscarriage stopped and this is how she "celebrates". Summer was beginning to believe everything that Jax had told her about having "bad blood" was true, she truly was a Morrow.

"Wait you can't just walk." He followed.

She didn't have to walk for long as a very angry brother and a very jealous "baby sitter" pulled their bikes up to the curb.

::

Jax was furious by the time he pulled the bike into the lot. His sister had almost fallen off twice and now she was too much of a mess to even walk. His hand grabbed painfully tight to her upper arm as he pulled her from the bike causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground.

A few of his men stopped what and who they were doing to watch. "I can smell him on you." He spat down at her as she sat awkwardly on the ground her head hanging forward. "Did you fuck him?!" Jax yelled causing more people to become interested in the scene. "Is that it now you are just going to whore yourself until the pain goes away?"

Chibs stepped forward. "Jackie boy." His voice was calm.

"We are here looking for my son and you're out being a stupid slut." Had Jax heard Chibs he sure didn't act like it.

"That's enough." Chibs put a hand on Jax's shoulder to pull him away from his sister, but Jax shrugged out of the man's hold.

"It's not her fault." The bike barely came to a stop as Dillon jumped off of it. "It's not her fault." He repeated as he ran to Summer's side. "She didn't know." The moment the words came out of his mouth he knew how wrong they probably sounded.

"What do you mean she didn't know?" Jax clenched his teeth as he looked down at his sister barely able to hold her own head up. "What did you do to her?" He shoved the man hard on his chest pushing him back. "What did you do?!" His voice cracked with rage.

This was too soon after Zobelle.

His group of men tapped into his rage that had still yet to have a little closer in the justice department, there was nothing Chibs could do to hold him back, maybe someone else would be able to talk some sense into him, Chibs however felt the same blinding rage.

"That's enough!" Gemma stood on the bottom step of the stairs watching her son stand a little too closely to her step daughter with a fist that was a little too violent for Gemma's liking. He took a step back when he saw his mother approach; they took a step back when they say the Queen approach. She looked back to the clubhouse door praying her husband was still down for his jet lag nap. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she hissed at her son knelling down to help up her inebriated daughter. "Help me get her inside." Nobody moved. "Help me!" Gemma told him through clenched teeth as she tried to hold on to Summer's dead weight, apparently she had passed out somewhere between getting off the bike and falling on the ground, maybe for Jax's sake she hadn't even heard his verbal explosion on her, she had.

"I got this." Opie scooped the woman up in his arms taking the burden off of Gemma and headed towards the stairs leading towards the bed rooms leaving the scene of a soon to be brawl. "You could have used me." He whispered to her as they headed towards the stairs.

"Never." She whispered back as her head fell against the spot in his neck that only she was able to find.

::

Summer lay awake in her bed as the street fight down below continued on, she hoped for Dillon's sake he had some back up, he had. She stayed awake in her bed long after the silence took over the night and the high she was riding wore off. She couldn't handle the silence anymore; she could handle the reality anymore. Turning onto her side so that she could see the sliver moon in the sky she saw the piece of paper folded on her night stand. It was an address.

::

He was standing on the curb the minute the cab pulled up; he had her fare paid and her door opened before she had a chance to change her mind. She stepped out into the chilly evening and frowned when she saw the swelling on his face and the wrapping around his ribs, she also noticed the athletic build of a shirtless man.

"How long have you been waiting?" she asked him looking at his naked chest.

"Long enough that my nipples will be permanently hard." He laughed pulled in her for a kiss on the lips that she accepted. When the kissed ended she gingerly put a hand to his cheek so that she would be able to inspect the damage of his face closed.

"I'm sorry." She gently stroked her thumb over his swollen cheek, on the other side of his face.

"Ay it's nothing." He winked a sure to be black in the morning eye at her.

"Is this a little presumptuous?" she held up the duffle bag by the strap that crossed over her body.

"A little" he smiled "Come on let's get you inside before you catch a chill."

Together they entered the building to his flat.

::

He had just shut the door when his prepaid rang with his President's number on the caller id screen.

"I have to get this." He told her as began scouting out his place; she just yawned and nodded her approval. "Ay." He walked away giving himself some privacy.

"It's Clay." The American voice on the other end told him.

"Clay?" he looked out of the kitchen to see her still walking around his poor excuse of an apartment taking inventory of what he had.

"Obviously against her better judgment she has once again found her way to you."

"Should I be insulted or honored?"

"She is in a bad place and I don't need you fucking with her right now."

"She seems fine to me." He continued to walk the blonde walk around the far end of his flat; her fingers strummed a cord on his guitar as she passed to the next treasured belonging.

"You keep her safe and you keep her happy and I'll make sure you will be compensated for your time."

"Wait what are you saying?" He stepped back into his kitchen and leaned against the counter furthest away from where she was.

"Name the patch and it's yours."

Dillon inhaled a deep breath and glanced towards the door to make sure he was still alone. "Exactly what happened to her?"

"She can be the one to tell you that." He heard Clay take a breath. "Congratulations son welcome to the family." Clay ended the call.

Dillon walked to his fridge and pulled out a beer. "Jesus Mary and Joseph please help me." He let the cap fall onto the counter as he chugged it back in one gulp.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom?" her voice in the door way made him jump.

"What?" the question seemed so absurd to him, of course she could use his bathroom, and no she didn't need to ask "must be an American thing" he thought as he nodded for her to go ahead and pee away.

She didn't move right away and instead turned a shade of pink that made him smile. "Where is it?"

"Oh shit right let's give you the grand tour." He placed his empty bottle on the counter and led the way to the bathroom.

::

"She fucked him." An angry father told a woman who had just been awoken from the most disturbing dream.

"What?" Ava yawned into the phone. "Who fucked who?"

"Scrum. Summer fucked him."

"Obviously Clay did you seriously think she wouldn't?"

"You said."

"I said what I said to sparing your feelings." He could hear her sit up in her bed.

"She was high."

Ava inhaled. "Clay it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. She is going to be angry, she is going to isolate herself, she is going to get depressed, and eventually she is going to accept it."

Clay exhaled. "That's only 4." He sat forward at the small kitchen table and with his free hand pulled the hair back from his forehead.

"What?" Ava rubbed the sleep from her eyes that screamed "tired"

"You missed a stage."

"She already tried bargaining with me, she took a life for the life of her husband and it didn't bring him back."

They both sat in silence for a second.

"I got a job today." She told him.

"What?" he sounded very fatherly.

"I am the new cashier at the Gas and Go." She sounded enthused.

"You can't be serious." He didn't.

"Start on Tuesday. I can officially say that I'm contributing to society."

He exhaled a deep breath. "If you needed a job."

"I already have a father that thinks he knows what's best." She was about to hang up.

"Congratulations." He said before she had a chance.

"Yeah fuck you too." She hung up on him.

Both went to bed that night with a smile on their faces.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Where Clay was content with the outcome of his own secret conversation tonight, Jax was not ready to put his parking lot show down to bed.

He had seen her leave and fought really hard not to follow; instead he resorted to his cell phone and used it as a buffer zone.

She answered on the first ring. "Call me a whore a slut or anything along those lines and I will hang up."

"What is wrong with you Summer?" Clearly the cool down time did nothing for him.

He could hear her movement. "Jax" he could hear the hurt in her voice, he didn't care. He was upset too. He was hurt that she would go to someone else for comfort, he was livid that she would put herself in a situation where God only knows what could happen, and he was pushed to the limits over the daily reminder in the lack of progress of his sons whereabouts.

"Summer serious what the fuck? I feel like I don't even know you anymore."

"To be fair Jax." She would have said you never did but decided not to.

"You're right maybe I never knew you." He, able to complete her sentences answered as if she had continued on her train of thought. "But David did."

He heard her suck in her breath.

"Do you think David would be proud of you if he saw you right now?"

"I'm doing what he would want me to do. I'm living."

"Oh is that what you call living my bad I had mistaken it for being a junkie whore."

They had just reached it, well actually Jax reached it, he had seen the point of no return and ran past it, they were now at the point where things from this moment on couldn't be taken back and would be remembered, forever.

"If David could see me now then he would be alive and if David was alive I wouldn't be here."

"You wouldn't come and help find your nephew?"

"God don't you see Jax all of us wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your mother."

"It was you." His voice became cold.

"Me what?"

"You turned her in to Stahl."

"Secret for a secret" she reminded herself "to the grave" she finished.

"Your mom needs to be held accountable for her actions." She admitted without admitting. She had taken the fall for her best friend, she hoped Tara would be grateful for this, Tara would be.

This time she heard him suck in a breath.

"Let's be real Jax you are not my family Jax, God we aren't blood, we don't share a parent, and we don't share a name. You are not my brother and I'm not your sister."

He remained silent.

"You'll live to regret this."

"The only thing I regret is having met all of you." Now it was her voice to turn cold.

"I will never forget this Summer."

"And I will never forgive you Jackson." She had never called him by his full name; it felt weird saying and it felt even weirder hearing.

The conversation was now over... Maybe in the morning they would look back on tonight and have regrets over what was said, probably not though.

::

"Are you aware that you tap your finger in your sleep?" After all that had happened to him "physically" she figured she probably owed him some breakfast, so there they were Sunday morning in a restaurant about to eat on her dime. "Kinda like what you are doing now." He nodded to her right hand taptap taptaping away. "Actually exactly like what you are doing now."

"It's a twitch." She shrugged it off and perked up when the waitress brought their plates. "Besides how would you know you were on the couch?" She arched an eye brow at him suspiciously.

"Hungry?" he watched her light up when the food arrived. "And I had to walk by the room to pee so I saw."

"A little." Her smile vanished when she looked down at her plate, her stomach growled at the sight of traditional Irish breakfast.

"Eat up." He had already begun to chew. "Got church in an hour."

"Church." She looked down at her jeans and borrowed leather jacket. "I can't go to church dressed like this." She looked back up at him shaking her head. "Nope no way sorry."

He just watched her as he drank his tea telling him repeatedly how she wasn't going to go.

Two hours later they were standing for communion in a long line of parishioners, he kept a hand on the small of her back and stood behind her a little too close to be considered "church appropriate." He being not one to follow "church edict" pitched her butt just as she made her way towards the front, she released a giggle and bucked forward into the person in front of her, the man possibly older than time itself looked back at her, he was less amused than the man who stood behind her.

"Sorry." She mumbled well her face turned about 50 shades of red (get what I just did there.)

"You know you are being very inappropriate." He whispered into her ear from behind causing her to instantly grow hot.

"I'm the inappropriate one." She glanced up over her shoulder at him. "I believe you are the one that needs to be punished."

His growled his approval. "You know how us good ol' Catholic boys were punished growing up?"

She grimaced waiting for his answer, she should hate the way she was talking, thinking, and acting all inside the house of God but for some reason she just didn't care, God what the hell was wrong with her.

"Maybe you'll let me show you later." as he whispered his lips brushed over her ear causing her belly to tighten with anticipation.

Really let's get real here a minute, Summer was no whore, Summer could count on her hand exactly how many men she had been with 1 was her husband, 1 was Opie, 1 was a man from back home, and 1 was this man, sure she didn't remember the whole back lane experience but when questioned and threatened over what had happened, he swore to the moon and back that she consented and that they wouldn't do it again unless she was sure, she believed him, he meant it.

"You're up." he pushed her gently from behind with a joyous smile on his face to the priest waiting to give her the host. Her balance slipped for a second as she looked back to scold the man too playful in this somber environment but as she looked back at the priest her stomach twisted in that way that only intuition could cause.

The priest looked at her as though he had seen a ghost and didn't care if those around them could see. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened for a moment or two. She stood for a minute looking at him as if she should know what was going on before he snapped out of his distraction "The body of Christ." He told her and with her "Amen" he put the host in her palm. He grabbed onto her right wrist before she had a chance to walk away. "Shit the Morrow gene is strong in your family." Her eyes widened at the swear.

"Excuse me?" she glanced back at an equally confused Dillon then back at the priest.

"Wait for me after the service I believe we have a lot to talk about." He released her wrist and continued onto the next person, she remained planted to the ground and only began to move when Dillon gently reminded her how to walk. As she was ushered along back to the pew she glanced back at the priest repeatedly, each time she found him staring directly at her.

::

Opie knocked on the door expecting to hear a bang of something hitting it as means of telling whoever dares to knock to get bent. Silence. He knocked again. "Summer you want some breakfast?" Silence. He turned the knob expecting it to be locked and knew he wouldn't like what he would find inside when the knob opened.

"She left last night." Clay walked out of the bathroom shoving a newspaper under his arm.

"What do you mean she left last night?" Opie needing to prove Clay wrong opened the door as if to show him Summer was sleeping in her bed, she wasn't, in the end Opie was the one proven wrong.

"She's with that guy isn't she?" Opie grabbed the knob once again and shut the door using a little too much force, using enough force to shake the house they were taking up temporary residency in. "And you're just okay with it?"

Clay shrugged as he continued to kitchen.

"Why him?" Opie turned to watch Clay walk past. "Why him and why David and I am sure there will be another fucking guy after this one and why the fuck is it never going to be me?" There he said it and there was no taking it back. "Do you think it's because I'm not good enough for her?"

Jax sat up from the couch rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"I'm good enough to be in this club but I'm not good enough to fuck your daughter." Opie continued.

"Oh shit." Chibs reached for a stale warm bottle of beer and swigged back the last sip. "Really we need to do this now?" He shoved the still sleeping Juice off the pillow that was meant for just him.

"Maybe you have nothing to offer." Clay sat down next to Gemma and poured some cream into his coffee.

"Maybe I have nothing to offer because you took everything from me." Jax instantly stood up the second Opie spoke. Bobby the only other brother that knew exactly what was taken from Opie nervously looked back and forth between the men waking up to this beautiful sunshiny day.

"Opie." Pulling his jeans on Jax called to his best friend. "Need to run to the store for smokes wanna tag along."

"Looks like I'm good enough to be someone's tag along." He mumbled loud enough for Clay as he turned away from the old man and headed towards the door.

Gemma tried not to catch her husband's eye as she watched him out of the corner of hers. He tried to act like the whole exchange hadn't bothered him, it had. Even Gemma couldn't understand his reasoning behind why Opie would never be with Summer. Next to David, Opie was the perfect match for her.

::

Summer waited in the pew next to Dillon who told her he probably wouldn't be able to stay, and I quote, "I probably won't be able to stay."

Whatever playful exchange they had been having all morning vanished the minute they sat down. She had turned to him and gave him a look that screamed how inexperienced she was in the world he belonged to. "I have no information if that is what he is looking for." Of course her brain assumed for the worst because really she had learnt pretty quickly it was easiest to just expect the worse, the worse normally happened first anyways.

"I'm sure it's nothing." He took her hand and rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles. "I know father Ashby knew John Teller, he probably knows Clay too, and maybe he just wants to have you pass on a hello or something?" Now it had taken Summer about 5 seconds to get used to Dillon's accent, hell having a rather difficult accent to understand herself seemed to help her in instantly picking up on his, it probably also helped that she spent most of her life interpreting or translating her best friend's mush mouth.

The heavy footsteps from the back of the church had both of their heads turned to see the priest and his two men approach.

"Uh." She began and would have told him there was no way in hell he was leaving but wasn't able to when he stood using his body to become a barrier between them and her.

"Dillon" The priest smiled instantly liking the way this man, a man he had known most of his young to adult life now stood as a protector for a woman who had barely been in his world, this was new for the man who spent many sleepless nights between the legs of faceless women.

"Father." Dillon remained planted to the ground even as the priest pulled him in for a hug.

"I promise you she will be safe." The priest whispered as he patted the man on his shoulder. "You have my word." Dillon pulled away from the hug and looked past him at the men who should and would teach Happy a thing or two in the art of torture. Father Ashby felt the man's gaze and looked back giving the men who followed him a nod.

"That'll do boys." He ordered them away and turned back to Dillon. "See nothing to worry about."

Now it was Dillon's turn to look back only there were no killers or criminals, there was just a scared woman who was way out of her element despite that her last name, which he assumed was Morrow.

"I'll just be over there." He nodded towards the doors at the back of the church where Michael and Sean now sat. He leaned forward to kiss her cheek only missed it, "Whatever you do don't expose your back to him." He kissed her ear as he stood and nodded to the priest.

"Silly boy." Father Ashby sat down the minute Dillon walked away. "I have to say I've known him a long time and never have I seen him so serious about something."

She didn't smile even if the Priest did.

"I would hate to think what he will be like when you head back to America." The priest continued to smile even though she knew it wasn't genuine. "I'd also hate to think what your husband must think about all the time you're spending with a stranger." He nodded towards the wedding band on her finger. With movement as elegant as liquid or smoke he reached forward and took her left hand in his so he could get a good look at her ring. "A ring like this could only come from a man seriously in love."

Her brows furrowed in the middle of her forehead as she pulled her hand back. "My husband is dead." She hated how cold she sounded and blamed it on the man who was making her uncomfortable. Course that changed when she saw the sympathy on his face and suddenly like a light switch had been turned on, she went from feeling that this man was a snake in the grass to this man was someone she could tell her deepest and dark secrets too, maybe it was because he wanted her to feel that way.

"I'm sorry." The priest patted her knee. "Were you married long?"

She moved her head only once and very quickly as her teeth went to work on the inside of her cheek. "Even if we lived to be 100 and he went before I did it wouldn't be long enough." She looked away from the man as tears began to pool, course her eyes faced the cross of the front of the church now.

"It's alright to be mad at God Summer." Father Ashby sat forward to face the cross. "It's alright to even hate him." She turned from sideways to forward staring at the same cross he was. "We all have our moments when we question God's judgment."

They sat in silence for a second. "How do I forgive someone who took the only good things in my life away from me? In one night I lost more than half of my family and now I'm alone and I'm empty and I wake up every morning questioning why I even bother anymore."

"But you wake up." Father Ashby side glanced her pulling a handkerchief from his pocket. "That's the most important thing in your statement Summer, you get up every morning."

She blew her nose into the thin material and then looked at it wanting to ask "who outside of the 1800 actually carries these things anymore?" she didn't.

He smiled taking back the cloth and shoved it in his pocket. "I am sorry that I have upset you really that wasn't my intention Summer."

That was the third time he had said her name, it's true what they say "third time really is a charm."

"How do you know my name?"

"I know everything that happens in these streets." He leaned back into the pew a little to "God father" like. "I haven't really had the pleasure of getting to know your father but I have had the pleasure of meeting John."

She gave him a "who?" look.

"John Teller."

"I don't know him at all he was dead long before."

"I know love." Father Ashby laughed. "You know I have seen your father in passing on the few times he has been to Belfast and of course now with the countless meetings we have had with one another."

She was back to feeling uncomfortable. "It's amazing that Morrow gene you got and how strong it must be, why the four of you look almost identical." He shooked his head as if the idea of family looking alike was astonishing.

"Who?" Her head snapped to the side.

"Why you, your brother, and the wee boy." Father Ashby looked forward "Oh and your father."

"Oh my God." The pieces started to snap into place, this man knew where Abel was. "Oh my God" she said again, this man knew the truth that seemed to be covered up. She covered her mouth and hoped that that wouldn't be considered using the Lords name in vain. "OH MY GOD!" she screamed when the snapping pieces finished revealing a bigger clearer picture.

::

They had just stepped out of the church when Dillon's president pulled up to the curb.

"Need you on a run." The president told rather than asked. "Triny will see to it the girl gets home." The blonde who had attempted to tape up her brother's wrist slid off the bike. Summer was still too shocked by the revelations of the day to even care.

"You are going to be okay?" Dillon the only other person next to Summer to know just exactly was said moments ago cautiously looked down at his responsibility.

"What's your number?" She handed him her prepaid.

"My number?" He took the phone and stared at it.

"In case I need to call you to bail me out."

He laughed, she didn't.

After his number was entered and the phone was returned he climbed onto his bike and gave her a nod promising to be back soon.

"Straight home." McGee told the girls, oh yes Summer indented to head straight home.

::

The phone rang once before the voicemail kicked in.

"This is Ava and yes I'm still alive and kicking. And yes I am still very much uninterested in a biker that is probably more than half my age. If you are calling about setting up an interview for any jobs that I may have applied for I have already accepted another position so thank you for considering me for whatever position it may have been. If this is about the art program I am still undecided and promise I will get back to you well before cut off for second term. If this is anyone other than a job, a school, or a man who won't quit then please then by all means leave a message."

Beep.

"I'm only 39" Happy told the phone and then ended the call.

::

Opie stood beside his VP which was a good distance away from his President and watched how Sambel handled a gun run, it was kind of in a sick but still cool way to see how the guns went from point A, Belfast to point B, Charming.

Jax watched his best friend knowing exactly where his head was, and yes he was still very angry at the girl he would consider to be his sister he started the conversation with his best friend in the attempts at making things a little easier, angry Opie = long and hard day.

"You know he isn't saying that you aren't good enough for Summer." Jax lit a smoke. "Maybe think of it as you are too good for her or something."

"Fuck off." Opie crossed his arms over his chest.

Jax gave an amused smile. "Besides what does it matter you have Lyla now and seriously dude I'm sure her shit is way better than Summer's." Yes he was lying, no, he would never admit to it, and no Opie didn't agree.

"Lyla is great and I love her." He had been repeating the same mantra for the last what 3 days since they left Charming.

"Just she catches cum in her mouth." Jax cringed for a second, picturing how it would be to be on that receiving end. "And she'll never be Summer." He forced the thoughts out of his head. "I don't understand." He handed the smoke to his friend. "If you want her as badly as I know you do why don't you just go get her. Why does it matter what Clay thinks?"

Opie didn't answer, well he didn't answer right away. "She doesn't want me like that." He finally said after working up the strength to admit to the truth. "I'm the one that is fucking starry eyed about this bitch and she couldn't care less."

Jax a little speechless at the honesty stared at his best friend for a second, he only looked away when they were called into the barn.

"Looks like we are up." Opie nodded forward and led his VP towards the group.

::

Summer had never felt anger like this before; she was actually vibrating with fury. Trinity being a strange, correction; being a smart stranger stayed a few steps ahead and remained silent as they walked. She wouldn't be the fuse that lit Summer's short dynamite. For Trinity this had been the most tense 10 minutes of her life, for Summer the last 10 minutes would be a lost blur as she appeared blinded by rage.

Trinity first then followed by Summer rounded the corner of their street it was the first time in this horrible trek home that Trinity felt as if she could finally breath again.

"So I'm just." Trinity decided just to head towards the direction of her mom's store instead of say where she was going. Summer however looked up at the house where she could practically smell her step mother.

Pacing in front of the stairs looking up at the door she felt more like a caged tiger or lion or jaguar, or well you get the point. Had she been thinking of her appearance right now she would understand why people were crossing the street to avoid her, she truly looked like a crazy person, her hair back to its unruly self-stood almost straight up as if the anger didn't stop in her body but continued up and onwards out the tips of her hair, the invisible wind machine that seemed to only show up when she was pissed must have been left on high as her hair blew into her face causing her to look her narrowed eyes through her white locks, had this been a horror movie she probably would have lost the color of her gray eyes to deep crimson red.

"You okay love?" A woman with a teenage daughter seemed to be the only ones on this block with enough courage to approach.

Summer didn't answer just glanced back at the woman and then the child with almost the same crazy hair as hers shoved under a knitted beanie.

The club house door opened and two women stepped out; it was the blonde that seemed to be avoiding her and the step mother that would likely not see another Charming day again.

"Fi" Maureen said with a smile that quickly faded when the next series of events quickly happened.

Summer attacked.

Jimmy O pulled his back Mercedes into the club parking lot.

::

"You stupid bitch." There was no way the 2 and ½ women in the parking lot would be able to pull Summer off her mother, also they didn't want to.

Jimmy with his used car dealer smile climbed out of the Mercedes and adjusting his dress pants that seemed to fit a bit better than the last time he was seen. Clearly he had been spending some extra money to work on his appearance.

"How could you!" Summer screamed as her fist connected once again to her step mother's cheek. At first Gemma allowed the punch that knocked her back, maybe she felt that it would help Summer get over this shit with David and Maisy, but then the attack continued and she saw the rage that filled her daughter and realized this was something else, this was something bigger than Summer's little dead family.

"Jimmy do something she is going to kill her." Maureen in a panic turned to the man she promised herself she would never ask a thing from.

"Would a world without Gemma Teller be such a bad place?" he smiled turning back to the fight knowing that if he wouldn't do something soon he just might find out what this world would really be like, minus one woman.

"If she dies think about the field day the press will have. American woman killed in IRA territory."

How sad is it that the only reason you are rescued is because of the press back lash and not because your life maybe has value? "Donny" He nodded to the man who was next to him.

The man took his time to approach and cautiously came from the side. He waited till there was a lack of flying fist for a second before he reached forward hooking and arm around the one winning, the blonde.

"I hope you fucking die your horrible excuse of a mother. I know Gemma." Donny held his arm around her waist as he yanked her off the woman bleeding from parts of her face that really shouldn't be bleeding. "I know everything you lying bitch I know everything!"

Maureen only helped Gemma up because no one else seemed to volunteer, and she was the closest.

"How could you do that to him? How could you let him raise his son as his step son?" Maureen's eyes widened. She felt Gemma spin stiffen, had Gemma been a cat she would probably bristle her fur at this moment.

"When are you ever going to be held accountable for your actions Gemma? When do you stop lying Gemma? When will you realize that everything that has ever happened to us is because of you and your fucking lies?"

Donny made the mistake in loosening her grip thinking that the speech she was giving was the end of it, it wasn't. Summer lunged again only this time she made sure to connect her elbow directly to Gemma's cheek as they went down to the ground, this time though Gemma fought back.

::

Not exactly the sight you want to see when you are returning home a few men short with more injured men then non-injured. Clay was greeted by a wife that looked as though she had gone a few rounds with a world class boxer.

"What the fuck Gemma." He approached her as she wasn't able to get up to meet him. "Who did this to you?"

She just smiled a half smile holding a bag of ice to the left side of her face and attempted to light a smoke. "Your daughter." She slurred her words as her mouth was to swollen to actually work.

"Summer?" he had to repeat the name just to make sure he heard it correctly. "Why the fuck would Summer..." He heard the steps on the stairs and looked up to see his daughter, looking a little better than his wife but still bruised, she walked down the stairs with a smile on her face that made his blood chill. This. Was. Not. His. Daughter. He kissed Gemma's hand before he stood to face his daughter or the demon that has seemed to be co-inhabiting her body.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" The second she reached the last step he grabbed her arm with enough force that there would more than likely be a hand shaped bruise in the morning.

"The problem isn't with me." Her smile was so sweet it could only be described as evil. "The problem is with your wife." She blinked her eyes up at him as though she were just her sweet southern self, she glanced away from her father for just a second but it was more than enough time to realize something was wrong. The men returning were bloody and bruised really they were in no way better than the shape she had left her step mother. Also there were a few men short.

"What happened?" His daughter returned, she pulled her arm free and headed in the direction of her family. "What happened?" She began to walk for her brother but quickly stopped... They stopped a foot away from each other the words spoken last night still fresh in both of their minds. He wanted to reach for her and apologize for what he had said, try to blame the stress of this place on the anger he felt towards her, she wanted to hug him and tell him all of her secrets. She looked back at Gemma and saw the fear in the old woman's face, Summer could tell him, Summer should tell him, Summer would tell him, just not today. Today they would continue to live the lie she had created last night, she would stay true to her word and not forgive what was said, he would live true to his and not forget.

Turning away from her brother she found the next man. "Juice what happened?" She put her hands to his face holding it between her palms.

"There was a bomb." His voice was shaky, in fact his whole body was shaky.

She scanned the group of men taking account for who was here and who wasn't, he wasn't there.

"Where is he?" her voice cracked as she held both hands to her brother's face.

He said nothing only gave her the grimmest of faces.

"Where is he!" she screamed looking once again as another wave of bikes approached.

And then she saw him.

From across the parking lot she broke out into a sprit in his direction, throwing disregard of distance and gravity out the window and jumped. Throwing herself forward she seemed to float in air until she landed against his chest hugging him for dear life.

Opie hugged back.

::


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

She could feel all eyes belonging to her family on her as the hug came to an end, but not the eyes of a man who was possibly heartbroken. She looked behind Opie at the man kicking dirt as he leaned against his Harley, instantly her hands pushed away from Opie and once again she felt the guilt that her actions caused. Why should she care about this man she barely knew and why was it so hard for her to care about the pain she was causing Opie. Why why why... Why the hell were there so many whys?

Opie refusing to let this be it grabbed her hand and stopped her before she had a chance to pass him.

"Don't go to him." Opie faced the clubhouse as she faced the row of bikes; the whole time they spoke never once did they look at each other.

"I'm not running to him." She allowed her hand to be held as she watched Dillon finally look up at her. "I'm running from you." She pulled her hand free and did just that. Like a bullet with the same amount of force as she had just done, she threw herself into the waiting arms of a stranger. It was Opie's turn look away as she found comfort and reassurance in another man's arms.

::

"Have you ever killed someone?" They sat in the crowded restaurant and after a few good long minutes of silence she finally spoke.

"Interesting dinner conversation." He had just finished chugging back a pint. "Uh you want the truth?"

She nodded watching him, taking inventory of all the new bruises to the old ones; he of course had already done the same to her.

"I mean, I'm not proud of what I've done."

"So yes?"

He nodded his answer.

"How many?"

He looked around the pub before leaning in a little closer. "Why? Why do you need to know this?" He watched her through sad eyes.

"I have." To say the words out loud made it real. She looked up at him through her lashes. "I took the life of the man who killed my husband and my baby."

Dillon sat back in the pub chair wide eyed. "Shit."

"It didn't bring them back." A tear rolled quickly down her cheek, she hadn't even realized she was crying till she felt the wet line it left behind.

"Summer." He was so far out of his comfort zone it wasn't even funny.

"I took a life of a man who couldn't fight back. I covered his mouth and prevented him from breathing. I injected cyanide in his blood and felt him fight against my hands to live. I smiled watching his pathetic attempts and then I told him to sleep." She looked down at her plate as was she confused. "I smiled Dillon the whole time I smiled." Dillon instantly remembered thinking just how beautiful her smile had been the few times he had seen it; he tried to picture her beautiful smiling face as she killed someone. "I did all that for my family and it got me nothing."

"Shit." He mumbled needing to think of the right thing to say and fast.

"I'm still alone I'm still empty and now I don't even know who I'm becoming. I beat up my mom for fuck sakes and to boot I alienated myself from my family." She pushed her uneaten plate away. "When does it get better?"

His mouth dropped open.

She stared at him.

He stared at her.

Shaking her head she looked away. "How do you live with the blood on your hands?"

He looked down at his clean hands and wondered the same question. "I don't know I guess I just do."

She rolled her eyes at his answer. "You just do?"

He nodded. "It's the only life I've ever know."

She turned her head away from him.

"It will get easier. I can promise you that much." He reached forward holding his hand out to her, hoping she would put hers in his, she did. "First step love, is forgiving yourself and then forgiving others." She looked up from his hand to his eyes and gave him one of those rare smiles.

::

"Well look who remembered how to use a phone."

In the privacy of Dillon's bathroom Summer found privacy in his bath.

"I'm a horrible friend."

"Among the list of many other things."

Silence

"Says you," Summer finally said.

Summer sat up in the bath and pulled her legs to her chest and hugged them with the phone tucked against her shoulder.

"Tell me." Was all Ava said in her "everything will be alright because I have your back" voice and Summers world spilled right open.

For the next 10 minutes on hyper speed with minimal breaths Summer shared with the only person who wouldn't judge her or attempt to give her advice. Ava doing what she did best listened taking mental notes of all the key things in Summer's confessions. She would wait until the end to give her opinion and like always she was willing and able to take on the burden of Summer's problems. This was what Ava lived for, by taking on Summer's problems as hers she was too distracted to face hers own problems, not that she had that many problems to begin with. Without Ava, Summer would crumble, they both knew it, Ava was Summer's legs when she couldn't walk, she was Summer's lungs when she couldn't breathe, she was Summer's brain when she couldn't think, and for all the things that Ava was to Summer, Summer was for Ava.

Now there were a few things that Summer conveniently left out and weird enough two out of the three things involved Tara. Tara's involvement in the murder and the fall she had taken for Tara in regards to Gemma and Stahl. Those two were secrets for life and Summer could never be called out on for not being loyal. Hell even Gemma could thank her lucky starts for Summer's intense loyalty because as time had continued to go on Gemma's secret remained just that, a secret.

For the last 10 minutes Summer talked about a murder she had committed, the death of her husband and unborn child, the attraction to a strange biker, the sex she had with the man in an alley which, the drugs, the fights with her family (even if she left out the real reason why) and need to end her suffering, through it all though Ava stayed silent.

"I just want it to end Ava." Tears had poured down her cheeks for 9 of the last 10 minutes. "I never knew that I could feel pain like this and I just wanted it to go away." She was trying to justify her actions to the drugs, to the sex with Dillon, to the fighting with her family. But distracting herself with other means, ie sex, drugs, and fighting, she was able to feel other emotions, it wasn't rocket science. "I feel as though I don't know who I am anymore."

"I know baby." Ava truly did understand the what's, the why's and the how's of it all. "Summer no one blames you for how you are acting." Everyone blames her for how she is acting. "Everyone will forgive you for whatever it is you say or do" No one will forgive her for what she says or does. "We will all love you through this." By the end of this trip Ava and probably Tara would be the only ones to love her through this, and maybe that was all that she needed.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Please say you haven't drowned."

"Is that him?" Ava had heard the man speak.

"Yeah."

"Does he have a huge cock?"

"I have to go." Summer ended the call before Ava could continue. "I'll be right out." She shouted towards the door.

"Take your time I just wanted to make sure you hadn't gone and off'd yourself on me."

Summer a couple of days ago probably would have tried if pushed hard enough, Summer of today smiled a tiny smile at the attempt of humor he was trying to have.

"I'll be right out." She said once again her voice a little more like Summer of yester year.

::

"So here we are again." Summer stood in front of the school desk holding up the ends of her school girl kilt. "Seriously Opie back to the school girl thing."

"Shut up it's my fantasy." He grunted.

She stared at him, he stared at her, the moment was gone...he sat back in the desk disappointed over the loss of relief.

"Why do you always have to do that?" He growled.

"Do what?" She twisted the ends of a pig tail and rocked back and forth on her heels.

"Ruin everything."

"What have I ruined Opie?" She was almost playful in the way she talked to him.

He pointed down to his lap covered by the desk. "Your killing me you know that right?"

"Hey let's not forget what you just told me." She popped a hip to the left. "And I quote..." she cleared her throat."Shut up it's my fantasy."

He sat forward and tapped his thumb on the wooden table top of the small desk.

"If you were really looking at getting off you would have thought about Lyla." She batted her eye lashes.

"Can you stop acting like that?" He growled watching her act out his fantasy.

"Who do you want me to act like?" her hip popped to the right.

He sighed and she changed back into the woman that would get him off in a heartbeat.

"Better?" she smiled her innocent smile and lifted up the hem of her lace dress. "I don't know why you even bother with all that other shit." She stepped closer towards him. "We both know that isn't what you want." Her hair fell around her shoulders with each step she took. "Why am I here Opie?" The question was a valid one and he hated that he had to answer, fantasy world or not he had to answer.

"Because this is the only place I can actually talk to you." He looked up from the desk. "This is the only place where I can tell you how I honestly feel without telling you in real life." She was close enough that the only thing between them was the stupid desk, not for long. The next time he opened his eyes they were back at Mayberry Point. She had her back to him and teetered dangerously close to the edge of a steep drop.

"Summer." He warned her.

With a playful smile she took a step back.

"Now that you have me Opie what do you want me to know." She reached ahead taking his hand in hers and led them both to an area where they could sit.

"I promise you have my full attention." She pulled her hair into a top bun and pulled her knees under her dress up to her chest, finally she hugged herself for warmth, the actions were all typical Summer and surprisingly comforting.

"I don't love Lyla."

She scrunched up her nose but kept her mouth shut, as hard as it was.

"I haven't really ever love Lyla. I like the idea of loving her but I don't actually love her." He inhaled a surprisingly easy breath. With the confession out of his body he felt as if there was more room inside him for things like, well, breathing for one.

She still remained silent.

"Maybe in the future I could come to love her but that would only be because you weren't with me." He looked past her out into the horizon. "I don't think I could ever move on after Donna and then I met you. You forced me too."

He side glanced her.

"And then just like that you were gone and it felt like I had lost Donna all over again, only worse." She remained silent. "I would be lying to myself and to Lyla and to you if I said I wasn't in love with you Summer. I would be lying to the world if I said this bullshit with that Dillon fuck head isn't killing me. I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy that David is gone, because that means that with him out of the picture there is possibly a chance for me."

She remained silent.

"I would be lying if I said I believed you when you said that baby you lost wasn't ours. I would have been a great father Summer." His heart began to beat faster. "It would have been the best father!"

She remained silent, he finally had had enough of her silence and turned to her, she was gone, fantasy over.

Opie sat up in his bed wiping a bead of sweat off of his brow. "Well that fucking sucks." He told no one but himself

::

"I always wonder to what extents a man would go to in the name of protecting his family." From across the booth in a smoky pub Clay watched Jimmy O speak. "I know I would kill in the name of my family. What about you Clay what would you do to protect those you love."

Clay just tilted his head, there was no need to answer both men knew there was no limits to what he would do.

"I know where your grandson is." Jimmy picked up the pint glass and instead of drinking it back swished the contents around inside.

"Where?" Clay growled making Jimmy's right hand man stand up a little straighter in anticipation.

Jimmy just shook his head slightly. "This is where you need to answer me Clay." Jimmy looked back at the man across the booth. "Exactly what would you give in order to protect your family?"

::

Dillon stood in his bathroom reliving himself inhaling the smells of peppermint and lavender, oh and quite possibly bleach. With a hand on the wall behind the toilet he looked around at the bathroom that God knows he had never cleaned, the place was spotless. Shaking out the last few drops he tucked himself back into his pants and stepped out into the hallway of his apartment and noticed that the cleaning didn't just stop in the bathroom, the whole place was sparkling. She stood against the doorway wrapped literally head and body in a towel watching whatever TV show he had left on her right arm crossed over her chest so that it could reach the back of her left shoulder.

Tonight would be a night of first, first time he peed in a clean bathroom, first time he ate in a clean kitchen, first time he massaged the shoulders of a woman.

"You okay?" he walked past her looking over his shoulder at her as he made his way to the couch.

She just nodded as she kneaded her own muscles.

"Why don't you come sit with me, let me do that for you."

With a smile she cut her eyes at him. "Think I can manage."

"Afraid you might like it?"

"Afraid it will turn into more." She corrected him.

"Would that really be so bad?"

She nodded.

He stood.

She watched as he approached.

"Would it really be so bad?" he was close enough now that she could smell the scent on his skin, different from her husband, different from all the other men she knew. This smell was specific to him and it made her belly twist with anticipation.

Once again she nodded as she looked up at him through her lashes.

His mouth was on hers before she could take another breath. He was literally stealing the air from her lungs and she allowed it. Her hands wrapped tightly around his neck as her towel was forgotten. He moved forward as they kissed and she moved back meeting the wall with her back.

"Now I'll ask you again." He broke free from the kiss and placed his head against her forehead both of them becoming a panting mess. "Would it be so bad?" She answered by pulling his head towards hers and placing her lips on his once again.

::

Gemma sat in the club house nursing a shot glass full of jack.

"Hey ma" Jax leaned down to kiss an uninjured part of her face. "Seen Clay?"

Gemma shook her head wincing at the pain radiating in her face, up this was going to hurt in the morning.

"K well I'm gonna head on up to bed."

"Just a minute baby." Gemma kicked out the stool beside her and nodded for him to sit. "We need to have a little chat."

He sat down thinking how serious could this be, boy was he in for a shock.

"You know I love you right baby."

He nodded watching as she painfully turned to the side to face him.

"Everything I have ever done in this life was to protect you and this family." She took his hands in hers. "There is nothing I wouldn't do for you or Clay." She swallowed. "Or Summer."

Jax look of concern disappeared. He didn't want to hear about his sister or dare he say ex-sister.

"She is part of this family."

"Hardly." He snorted.

"She is part of this family." Gemma continued. "We fight in this family and we forgive in this family. It's what we do, it's who we are."

Jax turned his head away from his mom so she would see the annoyance on his face. "She ratted you out to Stahl." He spilt the beans.

Gemma's shoulders stiffened.

"She is the reason you now have the death penalty over your head."

Gemma turned away from her son and swallowed back the shot in one gulp. "No Jax I am the reason for that one." She turned back to her son. "I am the reason why she is in this situation, I'm the reason we are all in this situation. The only person we have to blame here is me." She took a deep breath. "And I accept it." Maybe it was the fact that she had everything to lose that made her see the errors in her ways. Maybe it was that she felt like a dead woman walking that made her feel the need to confess her sins, well not all of them.

"K answer this." She poured them both a shot. "If Summer were to die tomorrow would you stop calling her your sister?"

"She isn't my sister."

Gemma smacked the side of his head.

"Summer is your sister and if I ever hear you say otherwise."

"Ma she isn't blood."

"Being blood related doesn't make you family." Gemma smacked the side of his head again. "Now answer the question."

He thought for a minute, angry Jax came up with the same answer as hurt Jax who had the same answer as big brother Jax. "No I would still call her my sister."

"That's what I thought. Remember that Jax when you are faced with no one but the one person who is obligated to have your back."

"You?" he smirked as he shot back his drink.

"No." Gemma stood up slowly grimacing to the pain. "Your sister."

::

Summer laid on her stomach her muscles jelly to his touch as he worked out the knots of her shoulders. He had never believed that his hands could be so rough but gentle at the same time, well he had actually never tried; he was always the receiving end of what he was doing now.

"You're like a God Damn rock woman" he was straddling her bare back kneading a particular knotty part. She bit down on the pillow to keep her from crying out in pain, he noticed. "If I'm hurting you baby I'm not gonna do it anymore." His hands lightened up.

"Just do it you big pussy." She cried through the pillow waiting to feel the release of the knot his thumb was working out.

Relief.

She loosened her shoulders the minute the knot disappeared.

"No one has ever called me a pussy before." He leaned forward she pushed the hair away from the right side of her neck. "Or maybe they just never lived to tell the tale." His lips grazed over her soft skin, he had her pinned.

"Or maybe they just don't say it to your face." She bit the bottom of her lip and tilted her head further to the side so that more of her skin could be exposed.

"Oh is that so." His hands moved down her body stopping in a location that was trouble for both of them.

"Don't." whatever smile was possible on her face vanished.

He nodded his head with a smug smile.

"Don't" she repeated but he didn't heed her warning, it was too late.

His fingers pressed in deep.

She bucked.

He smiled.

She screamed.

The man had found her tickle spot and with just the right amount of pressure she released a scream that turned to a laugh.

::

Clay sat in the pub nursing the same beer he had been since he was given the offer. The offer he of course turned down. He now had to either explain to his step son why Abel wouldn't be returning to Charming with them or figure out a way to go around the offer and get his grandson. So far he had nothing.

Pulling out his cell phone he dialed the number to his number one counsel.

"You know I'm going to have to start charging you." The voice told him once she picked up. "And you pick the absolute worst times to call."

Ava sat in front of the TV dressed in a snuggy and an adult forever lazy; she was a walking infomercial at the moment. Now back to the reason for her fashion no no, she was alone and there was a real house wife's marathon on, which was currently running on mute, which was a huge problem for her.

"Have you heard the latest?"

"Does it involve her going a couple rounds with your wife?"

"Yeah."

"Then yes." Ava shouldered her phone as she dug out the brownie chucks in her ice cream. "She finally remembered me and called today."

"What did she say?"

"That dear papa bear is confidential."

"Your joking right?"

"Fraid not mon ami" she spoke with the spoon in her mouth giving warrant to Summer's definition of Ava's mush mouth.

"Shouldn't the welfare of my daughter be something I have the right to know about?"

Ava snorted. "Your daughter's fine." She continued to dig. "I on the other hand am not."

Clay straightened up. "Why what's wrong with you?"

Ava crossed her legs and continued to dig into the ice cream container. "That once again is confidential." She went to unmute the TV. "If that will be all."

"It's not." Clay put a hand to his head. "What would you do to protect your family?"

"Summer is my family and I've already had this conversation with her."

"Now you are having it with me."

"Clay like you there is nothing that I wouldn't do to protect her." She frowned as she listened to silence. "Why?"

"I just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing."

"Well you didn't really tell me the whole situation so I'll just assume that you are correct." She picked up her remote again. "Now if that will be all."

She ended the call before he could continue.

::

Of all the people to interrupt them this was the one he hadn't expected.

The priest stood in the living room trying to decide if this would be a conversation that would require him to sit or stand. Of course he would have to tell the girl alone and he would have to do it privately, maybe he should offer to buy her a pint in the pub down the street, but the question was would she trust him enough to go alone.

"Father Ashby." The space between now and the last time he had seen her had clearly not been good to her. He noticed the fresh bruising on her cheeks and the split lip that was trying and failing at healing itself.

"Summer what happened to you?" But he knew the answer to that, hell it was him that planted that seed that grew into the fist fight.

She didn't answer instead she asked her own series of questions. What's wrong? Why are you here? Did something happen to her family?

He looked towards Dillon "I actually need to speak with her privately." Summer looked back at the shirtless man and nodded. The priest watched knowing almost instantly that getting her alone would be a walk in the park. "I shall return her to you without a hair out of place." He gave a smile to reassure and joked to hide the lie.

Summer walked past Dillon grabbing her Sons sweater from the back of his couch and squeezed his hand for reassurance. Her eyes told him she would be fine, the priest's told him he better prepare his weapons.

"20 minutes?" Dillon asked the priest in attempts to establish an ETA.

"20 minutes." The priest agreed and held open the door for the woman.

Dillon watched them leave and once he heard the front door to the apartment building shut he ran to the window and continued to watch them leave as he watched them fade off into the shades of the night he flipped through his phone until he found a number that had only ever called him once, and dialed.

"Think we may have a problem." He told the President of Samcro.

::

The priest was clearly respected in the working class neighborhood, pints weren't paid for out of his pocket and both Summer and the man graciously excepted the free bear.

"Pretty impressive." Summer took a sip to calm her nerves, this whole situation seemed other worldly to her. She was having a hard time trying to believe that she a simple swamp girl from Louisiana was now in Ireland with a biker club looking for her nephew and all the while having a pint with a priest who seemed more mafia god father then holy man.

"You look lost Summer."

She smiled. "That obvious?"

He nodded. "There is a light in you that most of the women in this lifestyle lost years ago." He watched her grow uncomfortable. "We have all done things Summer that we aren't proud of. The trick is not to lose ourselves to those things. Gemma, Mo, Fi they let the evil of this lifestyle consume them, over time they allowed their actions to speak for them and they lost their way."

"I am nothing like Gemma."

The priest tilted his head. "Aren't you?"

She cut her eyes.

"Because in her is a woman who is fiercely loyal to her family, a woman who loves to the point it hurts, a woman who would stand up for the right things, hell she would even stand up even for the wrong."

Summer took a sip of her beer.

"Your family has a love for you I've never felt before Summer. Your brother..." He shook his head. "God that man would go to the ends of the world for you and Gemma she would go to the ends and beyond."

"That would be yesterday today of course would probably be different."

He said nothing just looked at her confused.

"How did you know?" She traced a water mark her pint glass left on the table.

"Know?"

"How did you know that Clay was Jax's dad?"

Father Ashby nodded his head and picked up his pint glass, he needed to moisten his mouth for this lengthy conversation.

::

Twenty minutes had come and gone and he was left pacing the front street. Every so often he would stop and look down the lane she had vanished in and expecting to see her found nothing.

The Harleys pulled up to the curb as he continued to pace again.

"You let her just go?" A panicked brother was off first.

"No I didn't just let her go." Dillon squared his shoulders and braced himself for another blow.

"Looks that way to me seeing how she isn't HERE!" Jax advanced.

"Jackie Boy that's enough." Bobbie pulled the man back by the arm cut outs of his cut. "I'm sure she is fine."

She was, in fact she was returning as they spoke. Opie noticed her first and nodded towards the others, she looked so comfortable in her surrounds as she leisurely strolled the streets of Belfast, she looked like a local as she walked along carefree and oblivious to the world, that was till she noticed them.

"What's going on?" her voice was cautious as she approached avoiding the eyes of one man, her brother's.

"Get your shit your coming home." The eyes she avoided clearly didn't care that she was ignoring him, he grabbed her arm and refused to let go.

"No I'm not." She looked at Dillon expecting him to step up, he did.

"Listen mate."

"I'm not your mate!" Jax snapped still holding her arm. "From the moment we have gotten here all I hear out of your mouths are fucking lies." He started to lead her to his bike. "Leave your shit I'll get it later." he pushed her towards the seat.

"Jax stop." Opie stepped up trying to keep a level head over the situation; really he wanted to make his brother pay for lying a hand on his should have been woman.

"Get on the fucking bike" he turned to his sister who refused to budge.

"No."

The slap could be heard echoing throughout the streets blocks away, the explosion of men quickly followed, Dillon the loudest.

It was like watching the other shoe drop. In slow motion Jax saw himself raise his hand and bring it down across his sister's face, he watch as her head snapped to the side on impact and then snap back in pace to look at him in equal parts rage, hurt, and embarrassment. The fight continued around them as Dillon worked his way to her, Opie blocked his way, and Bobbie and Juice tried to keep the peace, all the while Jax and Summer stared at each other.

"That's enough!" An elderly man with a thick Irish accent yelled halting all movement. "Pathetic all of you." He walked through the men to the woman holding a hand to her face.

"Are you alright love?" Father Ashby asked reached his hand so that he would be able to remove hers, by doing so he exposed the instant red mark on the only part of her face that wasn't bruise. "Still beautiful." He winked causing her to smile. Looking at the brother clearly shaken by his own actions the priest cut his eyes. "Where we come from we don't ever let our anger or frustrations cause us to hit women, family or not." The priest empathized the word not.

When the priest released her face and nodded for her to step away she power walked herself into the arms of a waiting man, not only did Dillon supply her with safety, he also supplied her with body heat.

"I have just received word." As much as it pained the priest to do this, he turned to Jax. "I have just been given the location of your son."

Jax stood up straighter. "What?" Jax gave a shaky breath. "Where is my son?"

"He is with Jimmy."

::

Sitting on the couch debating her next actions and listing the pros and cons, she dialed the number she had memorized in order to ignore. It had rung once before the man picked up.

"Hey." Ava spoke

"Hey." Happy replied.

::


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"I promise you." The priest stood across from Jax with a sincere look on his face. "All I know is that Jimmy has reached out claiming to have the boy."

"Why is he doing this?" Jax's face twisted in frustration. The priest honestly did feel sorry that so many lives had been dragged into their political fuck up.

"I don't know son. I really don't know." The priest stepped back from Jax the minute Summer and Dillon walked towards the front door of the flat. Apparently they needed some alone time.

"I'll be in touch when I know more Jax that is a promise." The priest patted his shoulder on his way towards the vanishing couple.

"Ice for the swelling." He reminded Summer before kissing her forehead and nodding away from the door and motioned for Dillon to follow, Opie swooped in, in Dillon's absence.

"If I were to leave Lyla would you come home with me now?" She turned to see the desperation on his face.

"Opie." Her heart strings snapped.

He shook his head making her stop. "Your killing me Summer." She could see the tears forming in his eyes but she couldn't see them for long because he turned to walk away the second Dillon returned.

"Everything alright?" he placed a defensive arm around her shoulder, looking at Opie as he walked away hands locked behind his head on the back of his beanie she nodded.

"Hope you weren't expecting a quiet weekend." She turned and walked through the door first, like she owned the place.

::

She felt the need to recap the events of this week, no, the last two weeks. She tried to pinpoint the moment that everything went to shit. Her husband was gone and the thought of going to bed right now sent a wave of emotions through her. She would give anything right now to feel his arms pull her close, to feel the v of his arm underneath her head and his arm between her breasts. She let out a shaky breath and dropped her head away from the mirror; she couldn't bear to look at herself any longer. Not only was David gone but Maisy was gone. Summer looked back up at the mirror with anger on her face. "You had only one thing to do Summer and that was protect your baby." Her brain told herself. "And you couldn't even do that." She shook the venom filled voice from her head. Since arriving in Ireland on Friday she had fought with Opie, fought with her brother, physically fought with her mother and then fought some more with her brother. She had learnt things she wished she hadn't and still didn't know the real reasons behind the lies...and worst of all she was now had a tag along that probably would make her leaving this island extra hard.

There was a knock on the bathroom door.

"You alright in there?"

She shook her head as if he could see.

"Summer?" he knocked again and jiggled the knob.

"Just a..." her voice cracked. "Just a minute." She wiped away her tears leaving her blotchy red eyes dry and headed towards the door.

He was right there when the door opened, his body blocking her way and his arms above his head resting on the door frame. "You okay?"

She looked away as if to hide the fact she was crying.

She nodded while chewing the inside of her cheek.

"I uh have to head up to the clubhouse." He tilted his head to get a better view of her splotchy red face; she turned it away when she realized what he was doing.

Then she realized what he was saying. "Oh I should probably go then."

"What." He smiled, it dawned on him too, she had assumed that he was kicking her out. Was he? Did he really want her to leave? He had never had someone stay this long; hell to be honest he had never had a woman step foot through the door.

"I just meant that I would be back." He let a hand fall from the frame which he then used to slowly reach for her face. "I was hoping you'd be here when I get back."

She looked towards him, splotchy, blotchy, red face and all. "Really." She arched an eye brow. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Maybe you've grown on me." He leaned forward his hand cupping the back of her neck. "I'm going to kiss you now." She blushed as he informed her of his next move. He didn't wait for her answer and made his move in covering her lips with his.

::

Alone in a spotless apartment she sat on the couch bored out of her mind, he had left 20 minutes ago with the promise of returning in the hour. She wished the hour was up. Yesterday he had slept on the couch, where would he sleep tonight?

Her stomach twisted.

Then she started to think. What could be Gemma's reasons for creating such a devastating lie? How could she keep it a secret for so long? Does she feel guilty about it? Is she proud of herself? Would she ever tell them? Should Summer tell them?

With the phone in her hand and the hoodie on her back she headed towards the door, Gemma had some explaining to do.

::

Clay watched as the clubhouse door opened and his daughter walked in. The cold had forced her to put up the hood of her hoodie and her hair hung out of the sweater and down to her chest. She had her arms cross over her chest and he could point out the tips of her red finger tips sticking out from beneath the cuffs of her sleeves, even her nose was red. The closer she got to him the more he noticed how unkind the last few weeks had been to her, she was tired her face showed it, as well as the bruises from one to may rounds with her mother and now brother.

"Hey baby girl." He pulled her in for a hug and kissed the hood on her forehead. "What are you doing here?"

She sighed and hugged back holding onto his cut as though she would float away if she let go. They embraced for a minute, and then longer thanks to their own selfish reasons, hers needing to feel the safety he had promised to provide, him needing to feel important to someone.

"You okay?" he continued to hold her tight.

She didn't say a word, just shrugged.

"I know baby girl." He spoke into the side of her head as he held on while watching the comings and goings of the men of Sambel. "We are going to be out of here soon. I promise."

"Did you find Abel?"

Clay nodded. "Yeah we are moving in soon." He cut his eyes to one man who became interested in the company Clay was keeping, upon seeing Clay in his embrace with his daughter and his evil looking glare Dillon decided it was probably best to keep moving.

"Is Gemma here?" She looked up at her father who gave her a suspicious eye brow raise. "I just need to talk to her." He wasn't buying it. "I'm too tired to fight Clay." He bought that.

"She's upstairs with Maureen." He nodded towards the stair case.

She nodded her thanks and began to walk away before stopping and turning. "Thank you." She watched confusion spread on his face. "Thank you for not giving up on me."

He nodded, she nodded, she walked away.

::

Maureen had just poured the coffee when Summer walked in, the room fell silent.

"Can uh." Summer hesitated at the door. "Can we talk?" she gave her step mom a tiny smile.

"Course baby." Summer waited at the door as Gemma remained sitting.

"Uh alone?" Summer suggested.

"No here is fine." She poured some cream into her coffee as Maureen sat down.

"Um." Summer started but sat down when Maureen gave her a reassuring nod, apparently she would play mediator for the night. "Here it is I guess." She sat at the table joining the other two women, one only a little more bruised in the face then her.

"Want a cup of coffee love?" Maureen offered as she began to stand.

"No I'm fine." Summer smiled causing the hostess to sit back down.

There was the normal uncomfortable silence that happens when people internally debate when or if they should start the conversation.

"I'm sorry." She looked down at the table and traced the lines of the table cloth. "I shouldn't have hit you." She peaked up through her lashes to see Gemma staring at her.

When Gemma didn't say anything she continued.

"You have done some shitty things but that doesn't mean you deserve to be hit." There she said her part and now she waited for Gemma to do hers... she waited... she waited... She waited.

"Fine." Gemma started when Maureen cleared her throat for the third time. "It was never about hiding Jax from Clay or hurting your mother, it was about keeping John."

Summer reached for Gemma's pack of smokes, oh this was going to be good.

"I'll take something a little strong than coffee if you have it." Summer instantly turned to Maureen.

::

Shots were poured and drank and another round quickly replaced the first, Gemma had bought herself a minute of time and now she knew she would have to spill.

"I loved John more than any man I have ever known." She avoided looking at Maureen. "I was waitressing at this trucker stop when he pulled into the lot like he was from a bad outlaw movie. The second I saw him I was in love. He walked into the dinner with this crew of losers and I needed to be a part of it." She smiled to herself remembering back to a simpler time. "He must have felt whatever it was that I felt because when he left the diner he offered to take me with him. I threw my apron on the counter and never looked back."

Summer noticed the way Maureen's face was changing shades of red.

"Clay was his right hand man; there was nothing he wouldn't do for John. Me on the other hand." She snorted, very un-Gemma like. "Clay didn't like me from the moment I got on the back of John's bike. Nora of course saw something that I didn't even know I had." Gemma flicked the ash into the empty tea cup. "A heart."

Summer sat forward resting her chin on the palm of her left hand.

"Your mama was writer, a good one at that. She was able to come up with the most beautiful stories in seconds." Gemma smiled. "She was travelling across America in hopes to be inspired by life and create the next literary master piece." Summer sunk into herself as she remembered the flare her mom had for telling her bed time stories. "It was a different time back then, people hitch hiked without ever thinking that the person driving the car could be a psycho killer." Summer grimaced at the thought of climbing into a stranger's car now a days. "She had just gotten out of a truck at gas station and started walking down the high way when he saw her. He offered a ride, she got on, and she never got off."

Summer had never heard the way her parents had met, was it weird that she was kind of disappointed by it, maybe she had expected a more Disney princess version, whatever.

"As time went on John became more and more distant towards me. I couldn't figure out why, I was doing everything that was expected of me, I was setting and then raising the bar on what it is to be an old lady, oh but I wasn't just any old lady I was the old lady to the first president of Samcro." She spoke as if it meant something, both Maureen and Summer weren't impressed, Gemma didn't notice.

"It was just so easy for Nora, Clay genuinely loved her. And here I was chasing the man who was chasing someone else." She side glanced Maureen. "I knew." She spoke to Maureen. "I had found some letters that you two had written each other."

Summer poured herself another shot.

"I prayed that one day he would come to his senses and realize that I was enough but deep down I knew it was useless." She took a deep breath. "John started spending more time here setting up the Belfast chapter and I started spending more time alone. I think the men just started to feel sorry for me, man code had them keeping John's secret but that doesn't mean they had to like what was going on. I had confided in Nora my fears of John leaving me or worse being cast out of the club because he didn't want me anymore. She listened to me cry day in and day out and in the end I honored our friendship by sleeping with her old man." Gemma let out a heart breaking sob. "She had never had an affair with John I lied about that too." Summer nodded her head accepting the partial apology for something she had already known. "Nora hated the parties and decided to head back to their house, Clay would have followed but she was concerned about how much I was drinking, each day John was gone I drank a little more, my worst was two bottles in the course of a day." She wasn't proud of herself, the look on her face said so. "She had told Clay to keep an eye on me; she was scared I would do something to hurt myself."

Summer didn't want to know what would happen next but wants and needs are two different things, she needed to know why her mother denied her a father.

"It had happened so quickly he had opened the door for me using my key because I was too drunk to get it into the key hole. He let the door open and stepped aside so I could walk in, I had stumbled in when my toe got caught up in my heel, he caught me, I laughed, he laughed and then it happened. I think it was the way I started to cry that made him see me in a different light, I wasn't just the bitch of Samcro, I was a human trying to deal with the shitty hand my husband was dealing me. It had started out with him just brushing a tear away with his thumb, I had pressed my cheek into his hand and closed my eyes as the tears continued."

Summer's heart was begging for Gemma to stop.

"I kissed him." Gemma's hand went to her mouth as if what happened still surprised her. "He pulled back looking at me as if I had just poured acid on his lips. I was just as shocked as he was, but he still held my arms as if he knew that the second he would let go I would be on the floor." Gemma's eyes focused on her cigarette that was near burnt out. "I kissed him again and that time he kissed me back."

Gemma side glanced Summer. "Two weeks later docs confirmed the news. I was pregnant." Gemma took a deep breath. "I told everyone it was John's and it stuck. John knew it wasn't his, hell we hadn't had sex for the last 4 months, but he kept my secret because I was keeping his. He wanted out of Charming, seems he had a family all of his own across the pound."

"Did you kill him?" Summer needed to keep the lines of honest communication going.

"No!" the accusation seemed absurd. "It was a bike accident." Summer prayed that was the truth.

"How did my mom find out?" Summer braced herself again for the truth.

"John. Apparently he felt that she should know exactly who her old man and best friend were."

"Why didn't you tell her or Clay."

"Clay did. He told her that it had been a mistake, that I was a mistake and that he would spend the rest of his life regretting what had happened."

"You thought Clay would think Jax was a mistake." Summer thought out loud. Gemma nodded.

"Did you make her leave?" Summer asked Gemma bluntly.

"No that was Clay's doing. He couldn't even face her after he had done it. He spent more and more time at the clubhouse digging himself deeper and deeper into the club. He made it seem like he was picking the club over her and she figured it would be easier if she left than try to fight a losing battle."

"Where did she go?"

Maureen cleared her throat.

"She came here?" Summer's voice raised in disbelief. "Why?"

"John had told her about Belfast and she had decided that she needed to be as far away from your father as possible." Maureen took over for Gemma. "She spent a few years exploring the world checking in with me from time to time."

Summer was quickly realizing she had no idea who her mother was.

"But why come back to him just to leave him again?" Summer voice cracked.

"She missed your father deeply."

"Did she get pregnant just to hurt him?"

Gemma shook her head.

"Did she hide me from him just to hurt him?"

Gemma shook her head.

"Did you make her leave again?"

Gemma nodded her head.

::

There was more than enough said between these ladies for one night, all three could say they were past the point of exhaustion, too bad for Summer nobody told that to Opie.

Maureen had left Summer and Gemma so that they could say goodbye in privacy. Summer didn't feel right hugging Gemma after everything that had just happened between them in the last 72 hours, it would seem forced and not genuine, so Summer gave her a wave and headed towards the door. She made it down two steps when she saw the man sitting on the steps.

With a deep sigh she continued down the stairs glancing over her shoulder at the door making sure they would be able to talk in privacy.

"Hey." She sat down on the step before his.

"Hey." He stared forward.

"Should have been in on that conversation it sure was a doozie."

He laughed at the word. "Doozie huh?"

She looked back at the door then back at him, only this time he was looking at her.

"I meant what I said."

"I know." Her lips formed a grim line.

"Summer."

She put her hand up to stop him. "I can't trust myself around you Opie. I don't know how many times I've prove that to both of us. I can't allow us to do that to Lyla it's not fair to her. I love you Opie." He closed his eyes and instantly made his brain repeat her words just to hear her voice said it.

She sucked in a breath and watched him close his eyes. She felt the tears begin to pool and then fall down her cheeks, God she hated how emotionally unstable she was becoming. "I love you so much I won't allow you to make this mistake."

His eyes instantly snapped open. "We aren't a mistake."

"Right now we are." His hand came forward to wipe away a tear; she turned her face making it just out of his reach. "I am barely getting through each day, I am grasping at air trying to save myself from drowning. Please understand that I have these crazy thoughts and emotions that feel as though they are more suffocating than comforting. Please don't make me add regret to the list. Please don't ever make me regret a moment we spend together."

His face showed his heart break.

"Summer."

She reached forward with an open hand, he closed his eyes the second he felt the warmth of her palm through his beard.

"Am I the reason your baby died?" He spoke with his eyes closed; he could feel her hand stiffen against his face.

"Why would you say that?"

"I threw you to the ground; I covered you when the bullets started to fly."

She hadn't even felt him. She hadn't even realized it was him that threw her out of and him in dangers way.

"Opie." Her voice was shaky as that night flooded her. "It wasn't your fault." The doctors had told her it would have happened no matter what, her body would have rejected the pregnancy soon enough.

"I need to know Summer." He looked up at her with the saddest eyes she had ever seen. "Was she mine?"

Summer stared at him and instantly compared herself to her step mother, had Gemma be faced with the same question, did she answer the same way?

"Opie, it was David's baby." Yup Summer's choice was simple, she answered the way Gemma had. To be fair though it was a 50% likely that it was David's.

He nodded to himself and looked away; she could visibly see the relief on his face mixed with a hint of disappointment.

He could feel her movement and looked back at her to see her stand; this is where their conversation came to an end, with 4 painfully true words.

"I love you Opie."

"I love you Summer."

He let Summer walk away.

::

She stepped out into the chilled Irish air. Her lungs burned from the sudden temperature change and found it hard to not cough.

"See I told you that you would catch a chill." He was leaning against his bike, no leaning is the wrong word he was more lounging. She smiled and crossed the lot till she stood inches from him.

"You waited?" It had been hours since she had stepped into Maureen's flat.

"Told you I would." He smiled his panty wetting smile, the more she saw it the more she became less immune to it.

"Actually you didn't." she smiled down to the ground and stuck her hands in her back pockets.

"I didn't?" he smiled swinging his leg over the side of the bike. "Well I thought it." He stood up instantly shadowing her with his height. "You ready?" he looked down on her causing her heart rate to pick up.

Glancing around one last time she saw the last person she should attempt to make amends with. She looked at him; he looked at her, the bike started.

"Ready?" Dillon asked reaching out his hand.

"Yeah." Summer nodded taking his hand in hers; her brother would have to wait for another day.

Jax sat from the picnic bench smoking his second cigarette within the last minute or so and watched his sister mount the bike of his Irish patch brother, through rage filled eyes he watched the man lean back and cover her mouth with his, he watched his sister accept the kiss and return her own. He watched and he watched and he watched, he was always watching. As the bike pulled out of the lot he watched his sister look back at him a look of concern on her face, he cut his eyes at her before turning his head away.

"Stupid bitch." He told himself, she had betrayed him, his family, and his mother. She would never understand how much she hurt him. He was her brother for fuck sake; she should come to him for help not some other asshole.

He closed his eyes, "Dammit" he screamed. No matter how many times he said it, it would never be true. He tried to put the blame on so many other things but the truth was, none the reasons he had listed was why he was so angry at Summer, the truth was simple, he needed his sister.

He needed her to tell him they would find Abel, he needed her to reassure him that everything was going to be okay, and he needed her to protect him just in case it didn't turn out roses and sunshine.

He didn't care about Dillon and he wasn't jealous, before maybe but that was in the past, now he saw her as his sister and hated that in the past when the relationship was new he saw her as just another "play toy". He even couldn't be that mad at her for ratting out his mother, he had to agree with Tara on this one, everything that had happened to his family in one way or another was due to the effects of his mother's actions. Gemma lived by her own code, not the one he followed to heart, "brains before bullets."

Just like his sister, he was grasping at air to stop himself from drowning.

Ireland was fucking with his head.

::

It was weird for Dillon to wait for a woman; it was weird for Dillon to bring a girl home with him as if they resided together.

This woman was fucking with his head.

He shifted gears and picked up speed causing her to hug onto him tighter, he liked the feel of her against him, he liked the way she held him, he loved the way she put all her trust in him. How the hell was he going to let her go? The question made him jolt back to reality, instantly he slowed the bike down so that he could regain control of himself. The thought of her suddenly being out of his life made him want to be sick, it hadn't even dawned on him that eventually, she would be leaving.

She tightened her arms around his waist as if feeling his unease, luckily for him the flat was two blocks off.

He backed the bike to the curb and expected her to get off; instead when he looked back to her wondering what her next move would be, she made it. Snaking her way under his arm she straddled him, her face faced his face.

"Hi." He smiled placing his hands on the small of her back and pulling her forward.

"Hi." Her voice was sweet and small and her checks were red partially due to the chilly air.

"Should we take this inside?" He leaned forward to kiss the cold tip of her red nose.

"Maybe we could just stay like this for a minute." She was physically tired and mental exhausted and right now she just wanted to be held.

"Anything you want beautiful." Isn't it weird how words rarely, if ever spoken, always leave a unique taste in your mouth. For Dillon he was having that very experience as he said the words he had never spoken to any woman before "Anything you want" oh and "beautiful."

She smiled and her cheeks began turning red for another reason. Soon she leaned forward causing him to straight up wondering what she was doing, with a laugh she tucked her head into the crook of his neck and inhaled. The whole feeling of a woman cuddling him was foreign so instead of fighting it he went with it, letting his body relax he soon realized he liked it, he could get used to it, only it had to be with her.

"New to this?" she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"That obvious?" he wrapped her in his warmth.

"Nah." She lied.

They remained in silence for a couple more minutes.

"Am I doing this right?" there was an vulnerability in his voice that caused her to look up, yes he was rough around the edges, yes he was a biker who cared about one person and one person only (himself) and yes he was a douche who really didn't deserve her time, but he was trying and he was trying for her.

"I'm ready to go inside." She climbed off the bike and held her hand out. He nodded turning off the bike and climbing off. Her eyes caught his when he looked down at her "I'm ready." She stared deep into his ocean blues.

He knew what she was implying and instead of rushing her inside by carrying her over his shoulder, he simply reached out and took her hand and together they walked inside.

::


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

::

It was almost awkward at first; they both knew when they entered the house that at some point tonight they would be having sex. Dillon didn't do awkward well; he rubbed the back of his head probably about 10 times within the first few minutes of walking through the door.

"Want some ice?" Hand glued to the back of his head he made in the direction of the kitchen.

"Sure." She followed.

He opened his freeze noticed for the first time how barren it actually was, reach into the empty nothingness he pulled out the only thing that was in the freeze, directly in the middle and used frequently, an ice pack.

He handed it to her knowing he should probably wrap it in a towel or something first. She smiled her acceptance but avoid eye contact with him.

"Thanks for." She began but he quickly shrugged off his part in defending her honor, at least that's what he assumed she was thanking him for, it was.

"Listen Summer." He was going to tell her that if she wasn't ready then he wasn't ready but she stopped him by put the pack down on the counter. As she walked across the kitchen towards him she finally allowed eye contact. Their eyes remained locked even as she extended her icy cold hand.

"I'm ready." She looked up at him all 6'2 inches of him. "I'm scared as hell but I'm ready."

That was more than enough for him.

It was the intimacy before the intimacy that he found the best part. The preparation, the anticipation, the nervous touching…

The faced each other in the bath both naked, both exposed, both vulnerable.

It was only 5 minutes ago that she removed all of his clothing starting with his boots then socks. He had never had someone take the time to carefully remove every article of his clothing. When it became time for him to return the favor he found he enjoyed how gentle his hands could be. He found this whole thing more erotic then the actual fucking.

"That's some serious ink you have there." This was the first time he was able to actually look at her whole. Yes he had touched her before this, remembering back to the first time he ever massaged someone, but he was so nervous thinking that he was doing it wrong that he couldn't really focus on her. Now however his eyes hadn't left her since the second he stripped her down.

Nervously she rubbed her tattooed arms. "Thanks." She blushed. He liked the looks she gave when she blushed. When she blushed the way she did he saw bits of her real life, her life back in America, her life before it went to shit, her life when she was not someone trying to be tough, when she wasn't just someone struggling to get through each day, when she was just a sweet and naively innocent woman.

"You know if I knew baths would be like this maybe I would do it more." He splashed some water at her; if I may be frank with you dear readers; this was actually his first time in a bath, ever.

"Maybe you're just bathing with the wrong person." She flirted, she was actually flirting.

"Maybe." He winked just to see her cheeks flush again.

She splashed some water back at him.

"Are you ready to tell me about your life back home in America?"

"My life back in America?" she repeated. "Well for starters you probably wouldn't like me." She watched as he became touchy and began stroking her right leg, going so far as raising it out of the water and resting it on the ledge of the tub so he would be able to touch more of it.

"We sharing razors?" he smiled as he rubbed her incredibly smooth leg change the path of the conversation for a second.

"We are sharing more than just razors." She blushed secretly thank Ava for forgetting to pack her toothbrush.

Steering the conversation back he continued where she left off "Why wouldn't I like you?" he looked at her leg then back at her, he smiled when he saw her inhale clearly relaxed because of him, his heart kicked with pride.

"Well remember that I'm going through a mental breakdown so I'm normally not so emotional."

"Or bitchy?"

"You think I'm bitchy?" she was shocked.

He shrugged.

"I'm not a bitch." She pouted pulling her leg back out of his grasp, she should have known by now that when he wanted something he didn't let it out of his grasp easily.

"I'm not saying you are a bitch I'm saying you were bitchy but please continue."

She crossed her arms over her chest and thought for a second. "I'm actually rather boring."

"I don't believe that for a second." He smiled. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a hairdresser." She purposely looked up at his hair, self-consciously he rubbed a hand over his buzz cut, she smirked.

"Your hair is fine." She splashed another hand of water at him.

"So that's what you wanna do with your life, cut hair?"

"That would be the plan." She gave him a half smile, a classic Summer half smile to be exact. "But it's not just hair; I am hoping to expand my resume from hair dress to hair dress/esthetician." He enjoyed watching how excited she became when she talked, he could picture her back home before her life hit a shitty bump always speaking with a smile on her face, always full of excitement, suddenly he felt the need to see it more, and suddenly he wished that he was the one she got excited about.

She watched his face drop a little as if he became lost in thought somewhere. Where ever he had went though it didn't last long because after a second of silence he blinked himself back to the bath.

"And you plan on living in Charming?" he asked the question as if he hadn't just mentally vanished. He asked the question she hadn't even thought about. Would she stay in Charming? It was her turn to get lost in thought, only he didn't let her think about it for long. Her breath became shaky the second he started tracing circle with his thumb on her inner thigh. Her eyes fell from his down to his hand and then back up, his hand was a lot higher than the last time it touched her leg. He had cut his eyes just a little as he watched her squirm under his touch, he wanted her, he needed her, and he would have her.

::

They barely made it from the tub, their bodies' still wet made holding onto each other difficult. It was her that initiated the act.

With her bottom lip between her teeth she sat up and as best as she could in a bath and moved her way towards him. He had been leaning back against the tub watching as she approached, he had been watching as she slid her way up his body, his dick jolting a few times against her lower belly the second they made contact. He needed to taste her mouth on his, he needed to feel her warm breath on his, and instead she made him wait as her lips found his neck, he hated waiting.

His head fell back and his eyes closed the second her wet lips touched his skin. "Shit" he growled, he loved waiting.

Her finger tips brushed over the muscles of his chest working their way down towards his core. He knew where she was going and he needed to stop her, he hadn't done anything to deserve the right to come first. Another first for Dillon, putting a bitches', no, putting her needs before his.

He sat up causing her body to move with his, his hand raised her jaw up so that he was able to look down on her mouth. Being as gentle as he could he fisted a hand full of her hair and held her head at the perfect angle.

"You first beautiful." He smiled down at her.

That was how they ended up in his bed, her on her back and him between her legs, mouth first.

Her moans were like music to his ears, a song he wanted to hear over and over again. Even better than her shaky moans was the way she said his name, if this was the last sound he would ever hear then he could die a happy man.

From between her legs he watched her spine arch forward, he loved the way her breast pushed forward and suddenly felt the need to put them in his mouth, or his dick between them, but that would be later, for now he was enjoying another area of her body way too much. He used her body as a gage, he knew that she enjoyed deep and slow lapse of his tongue over quick and fast pulses. He knew the second his tongue touched her sensitive area it wouldn't take much to push her over the edge, but this wasn't meant to be a quick wham bam thank you ma'am, this was going to be making love and he was going to do whatever he could to make it last for her and for him.

Well that was until she needed her release. "Please." She fisted the sheets of his bed in her hands as she moved her hips pushing her lower half forward. He glanced up at her seeing the need of the soon to be release all over her face. He held it was just out of her reach, he felt a little bad for teasing, and of course it didn't stop him. She jolted every time his tongue touched her trigger but instead of continuing with the motions of working and then helping her through her orgasm he would pull back and work on a less sensitive area. She was going to explode.

She was sweating, she was panting, she was moaning, she was itching to touch herself. She needed him and she needed him now. "Make me come!" she finally screamed out. He smiled as he finally had gotten what he needed, her permission.

With in the second he pushed her onto her orgasmic roller coaster and held on tight as he drank in his prize.

::

He stared down at her as her orgasm came to an end, he could honestly say he had never seen anything so beautiful in his whole life. She released the sheets that had been fisted in her hand and allowed herself to stretch out a smile upon her face. It was such a small incident what happened next but a bold move on his part. The way her hand landed on the bed caused the tiny sliver of moon light to reflect off of her wedding band and engagement ring and hit him dead on in the eye. Her eyes widened the moment she saw it happen. He knew he was going to lose her to her memory, maybe which was the reason behind what he did. Reach for her left hand he slid both of her rings off, he was actually surprised by 2 things about this ring, 1) How well it fit her and 2) How heavy it was.

Once both rings were off and still held between his pointer finger and thumb he reached for her right hand and placed them back on her ring finger. She looked at her ring less left hand for a few seconds causing him to internally kick his own nut sack and he waited for her to give any indication that what he had done was alright.

She looked from her left hand to her right and then up at him, from between her legs he looked down at her.

"What are you waiting for." She bit her bottom lip the second the words escaped her mouth.

With a twitch of his eye brow he advanced. "Maybe I just want to hear you talk dirty." He leaned forward so that his body covered hers; he rested on his arms so that his weight wouldn't crush her.

Her hands moved up and down his tone oblique muscles. A sudden involuntary thrust from his lower member had both heads looking down between them to the body part that was currently resting against her belly.

He shrugged with a smile. "Apparently it wants to hear it to."

"That so." Her hand slid down his side to the top of his tight. "I'm sure it would rather I do more than just talk."

It thrust again.

"I sure it would rather be somewhere else then where it is now." He pushed some hair away from her face. "Like inside you." He felt the need to spell it out.

"Where inside me?" she playfully batted her eyes. "Here?" her free hand was used to rub a finger over her bottom lip. "Or?" She held his eyes which were becoming wide. "Here?" her hand slide down their bodies and touched an overly sensitive part. "Or?" He couldn't let her continue, he was losing his fucking mind.

"Summer" he growled as his forehead fell to her neck his teeth nipping at her skin, once again his lower half thrust forward, only this time she was ready, this time she had a spot for it to enter. He raised his head the second his tip felt moisture. He looked between them and saw himself advance within her. She had bet her right leg at his side and hooked it around his right arm. He had yet to fully enter her body and knew that there would be a lot of uncomfortable pain until he had her stretched around him, yes he was that big, and yes he was that proud.

"Relax beautiful." He reminded her as he slowly began to make room inside her.

She did.

Now Dillon was a man who had a few rules when it came to sex, always from behind, never look a bitch in the face, no kissing, and once it was done it was done.

These were the rules he had broken so far: he had kissed her, he they were facing each other, and he prayed she would be here in the morning. He was breaking his own rule and he liked it. They had stared into each other's eyes from the moment he began to enter her to the moment he completely filled her. He had waited a second so her body could become use to the foreign object inside before they started the actual act of making love. They never broke eye contact as the both took readying deep breaths, and then he began.

Her leg held by his arm he slowly moved out keeping his tip just barely inside and then he thrust forward till her wetness could be felt on his body. His thick shaft stretched her wide each time he pushed himself in causing a small amount of pain to vibrate through her body, the pain lasted only a millisecond and eventually there was no pain at all. His movement began to speed up which caused her husky moans to grow louder, even he was having a hard time keeping quiet. With smoke like movement he raised her from the bed to his lap needing to actually to feel her chest against his, she didn't seem to mind, and in fact she liked it more now that she could kiss him.

Her insides clenched him, milked him, and squeezed him. He had never been inside someone so tight someone so clearly inexperienced. The reminder that she was different from all the other women he had been with caused his balls to tighten, the thought that he wasn't among a long list of men made his lower belly ache. He was going to come.

"Can I come in you?" He needed a release now and prayed her answer was yes.

She nodded. Instantly grateful for the preventative actions her doctor had taken in order for her to remain pregnant free till the time was right.

The second she nodded he released flooding her with flood and filling the room with an animalist growl, her release was less dramatic.

::

The second he pulled out of her she closed her eyes, she was still on his lap with a look on her face that made he expect a flood of tears due over the fresh wound of her husband death. He seemed to hold his breath waiting for her to react to their previous activities. She opened her big blue grey eyes and looked at him, he remained silent as she stared at him he quickly noticed the change in her eye color, or maybe he just never noticed the bluish tint to her grey eyes.

He was exhausted, his muscles were near shaking due to their over exertion in holding him up, and he was feeling dizzy due to the fact he was still holding his breath. With a soft touch of her fingers to his back she silently told him it was alright, he slowly laid her back on the bed and covered her with his body, using his arms to hold him up so she wasn't crushed by his weight, his breathing was shaky due to the strenuous exercise and he was sweating enough that his skin was slick.

After a few minutes of silent staring he attempted to roll off of her, she wouldn't allow it, even going so far as wrapping a leg around one of his. She need to be held, she needed to be held by him.

"Are you okay?" after a couple minutes more minutes of zero conversation he finally asked.

She nodded. "Yeah I think so."

The both looked at each other and eventually she let go of him so he could roll onto his back taking her naked body with him. No it was his turn to hold her against his chest his arms tightly wrapped around her back. Her head rested over his heart and her ears were filled with the beats.

"How serious were you about letting me in here." His hand came down hard on her behind causing a loud smack echo fill the room.

She didn't answer, she laughed.

::

The last thing she remembered was the time, she had looked on her phone checking for any missed calls and noticed it was 2, that was before she handed it to him so he could plug it into the charger. This day was finally coming to an end. After another session of love making they were both finally ready for bed. Together they slept differently than she had with her husband, where her husband held her this man covered her. They slept her chest to his back, and for more detail it was more his back over her entire front. He was literally sleeping like a human shield against her.

This was the most peaceful sleep she had had in a long time, maybe it was the way his breathing kept her breathing calm, maybe it was the way his smell of fresh air and manly man that filled her lungs, or maybe it was the gun he had in his left hand, either way she slept safe, she slept sound, and most importantly she slept.

::

Morning in Belfast came with some changes. Most if not all of those changes would happen to or for Dillon.

The banging on his front door had him instantly on his feet gun cocked and sweats pulled on. She slowly opened her eyes and began rubbing the sleep away.

"Go back to sleep beautiful." He tried to reassure but really how reassuring can you be when you have a gun in your hand.

"Who is it?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." He nodded to the door. "Just gonna close this k love." She nodded her response and watched him lock her away from whom ever came calling the beautiful sunny morning.

Cautiously he opened the door hiding his gun behind the wooded door frame.

"Clay?" His face was as confused as his voice.

"Structure change." The old man patted Dillon's chest. "Don't fuck it up." He pulled his hand away and two patches fell to the ground. Clay left before Dillon could retrieve the SAA patches.

"Was that my dad?" She stood in the hallway on her way to the bathroom in nothing more than boy short panties and a tank top.

"I shut the door for a reason." He turned to face her, his eyes widened at her choice of outfit. "Who knows who it could have been and this is how you dress in the face of danger."

She shrugged. "At least I look cute."

"At least you look cute" he repeated in a spot on Summer accent.

Tossing the gun and patches aside he advanced on her before her legs could carry her away.

With a combo laugh and scream she found herself hoisted into the air and tossed over his shoulder with another smart slap on the behind.

He smiled heading back towards the room as she pretended protested. "Time to teach my dirty little girl how to obey." He laid down another smack causing another round of breathless laughs from her.

After they had passed through the door he made sure to kick it closed.

::

With a spring in her step and a smile on her face Ava danced her way to the kitchen her hands in front of her with moves that would make any 1920's flapper dancer proud.

Tara's coffee went from mouth to wall. "What are you wearing?"

"New uniform." Ava turned giving full few of the very unflattering what seemed to be a size large in men's red jump suit. "They didn't have my size." But that didn't rain on Ava's parade one bit.

"It's lovely." Tara lied watching as Ava pulled her poker straight hair into a messy pony tail and pushed her bangs out of her eyes, times like these she really missed Summer and her skills with a pair of scissors.

"Thank you." Ava took the compliment. "And with that boost to my confidence I'm on my way. I am officially stepping out into the working world!" She made a fist and pushed it forward as she walked towards the front door.

"Do you want me to pack you a lunch before you go?" Tara shouted as Ava headed through the house to the front door.

"No thank you." Ava opened the door. "But make sure dinner in on the table when I get home woman." Ava told her before shutting the door and entering the world of those who work for a living, a world of those who don't depend on anyone but themselves, and a world where her daddy couldn't tell her what to do. This was Ava's world and everyone else was just tagging along for the ride.

::

"Ava?" The chief of police had to rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing clearly. When the woman literally swimming in a sea of red turned to face him he was sure it was who he original thought. "Are you working her?" He seemed shocked, no he didn't seem shocked, he was shocked.

"That would be correct Chief." She glanced at her manager from across the store that so far seemed impressed enough with her that he was letting her free fall (work on her own).

The officer took a glance back at the line slowly starting to form. "Working here long?"

She shook her head. "First day." She was glowing; he had never seen someone so genuinely happy to be working or like their job, it was almost sweet.

There were a few loud sighs from the back of the line as the officer chit chatted with the cashier who was waited for the pump to stop pumping so she could ring the cop up.

A few times Ava glanced back over the shoulder of the Police Chief and silenced the sighs with a sinfully scary "be with you in a minute" smile.

"You hear from Summer?" Ava had been told from Tara that the officer hadn't assisted in Gemma's great escape and assumed that there would probably be some tension when the "crows" flew back into the coup.

"Uh." She started but was interrupted with another round of sighs. "Excuse me are you in a hurry or something Sir?" She asked the bald man 3 persons back, her patients had snapped about 10 sighs ago.

"Actually yes I am woman." A scarred face man stepped out of line; she glanced over at her manager who was watching her like a hawk.

Ava's eyes widened at the disrespect that oozed from this burnt faced man and the disrespect wasn't just projected at her, it was at the two other women who stood in line.

"Sir I assure you I am going as fast as I can." She made sure to move to the side so that she could face this man head on. That was when she noticed the hate markings of a man who believed it should be a white world. With a roll of her eyes she stepped back behind her till and continued her conversation with Wayne.

"I talked to Summer the other day. Seems to be doing okay, got herself into little fisticuffs with mama dearest."

"A fight?" Wayne's eyes widened. "Why?"

Another round of sighs began.

Ava slammed her hand down on the counter. "Sir. I told you."

"Listen girly." The man snapped causing the other two women in line to jump.

There is one thing Ava had no patience for; disrespecting women and rude people, which of category did Darby fall into? "No you listen this is a place of business where there is zero tolerance to disrespect. You will be assisted when it is your turn."

Darby stared at the only woman who seemed to be putting him in place.

"And just so you know Sir there are places in this here country where the color of your skin." She pointed at him. "Makes you the minority."

His eyes widened, her eyes widened, her manager's eyes widened.

"And my name is Ava not woman!"

The other two women nodded their heads in agreement. One even said "You go girl"

Her pride was short lived though. "Shit" she mumbled as she watched Darby head for the door.

"Ava" her manager called her name.

"Yes?" she mumbled her words.

"Wanna learn how to work the pumps?"

"Yes!" She answered with an insane about of enthusiasm.

Bob (the manager) smiled at her "go get her" attitude. The dark skinned manager knew he had made the perfect choice for the Gas and Go when he personally hired the girl, he patted himself on the back, literally, it was weird to see.

::

She had just started the shower, she wouldn't tell him but he was seriously doing a number on her body, literally. He was just a little too big and her body was feeling his effects. Standing under the stream of warm water she let the warmth begin to loosen her over worked muscles. She had been alone for the equivalent of a second when she heard the bathroom door open; she stood poker still listening for evidence as to where he was in the room.

Silence.

She cut her eyes as if it would help her hear better.

Silence.

She thought about peeking out of the curtain to see where he was.

Silence.

Finally she heard the sound of liquid on water.

He was peeing!

She was mortified.

"What are you doing?" She called out.

"That would be peeing beautiful." He spoke as if this were the most normal thing. Once he was done he flushed, she cried out as water went from one extreme to the next, scolding to ice then back to warm.

"Asshole!" she laughed.

"Move aside." The shower curtain was pushed aside and he climbed in stealing her spot under the stream of water.

"So we are sharing showers now."

"Hey what's mine is yours and yours is mine." He winked lathering shampoo onto the stubble growth of his head.

"Why was my dad here?"

It had been a few hours since her father's early morning surprise visit and she still didn't know the reasons why.

"Handed me a patch and was on his way."

"Patch?"

"Seems I've been promoted."

Her face got serious. "Why?"

"Don't know love. Assuming the previous SAA got himself either killed or cut."

"Did Clay promise you anything?"

"For?" He washed the soap from his head.

"Did Clay try to make a deal with you in regards to me?"

"Does he do that?" Dillon reached for Summer and her minty bottle of shampoo he held it up asking for her permission before he began to pour it on his hand.

"Yes, yes he does do that. Dillon did my dad promise you something in exchange for me?"

"No." Dillon began lathering her hair in the mint green shampoo. He lied, she believed him, like always Summer trusted first.

They looked at each other for a second before he moved so he could wash the soap from her hair.

"You know even with the bruises you're still beautiful. It's weird I think they make you more beautiful."

She smirked as she leaned under the spray.

"Before moving to Charming I had never been hit, well no, that's not true my best friend and I got in a fight ones, we were 10, it was bloody, we didn't talk for a whole day."

"Did you win?"

Summer laughed. "No she totally kicked my ass."

The normality of this whole experience between them was short lived. He felt the end of it first.

"You're gonna leave me soon." He was so gentle as his fingers ran through her hair that she closed her eyes. The idea of her going when they had come so far made him want to be sick. It also made him fell something he had never felt before, sad.

Opening her eyes she smiled up at him. "But not today."

::


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"You know you could stay." This was the first thing he had said to her in the last 10 minutes as they did the most "normal" thing a "couple" could do, grocery shop. "Or I could just tie you up and force you to stay." He was only half joking.

"Or you could come back to Charming with me." She was only half serious.

"Okay." He continued to push the cart long after she stopped walking due to the single word answer.

"Okay?" she caught up even if her flip flops caused her to slide over the ground than walk. "Are you serious you would come back to Charming?"

He nodded as he put a box of rice into the cart. "Sure why wouldn't I."

"Well there is this." She reached forward to rub her thumb over the new SAA patch that she sewed on for him that morning. "I may not know lots about this kinda stuff but I know this is important." Her thumb tapped on the patch.

He shrugged and continued to the next isle. She once again stayed in one spot to actually think about what he was suggesting.

"No I can't let you give that up for me."

He was filling the cart with items from the list she had written up that morning; she found herself race to catch back up to him.

"Can you stop please?" She had to physically hold the cart back so he would continue the conversation.

"Beautiful I would follow you wherever it was you went, if that is what you wanted." He reached forward and cupped both sides of her face, losing his hands to her curls in the process.

"But what about this?" she nodded to the patch.

He looked down at the patch on his chest then back at the one. "It's just a patch."

Her heart melted, but it wasn't long lived. There was no way in hell she would let this man come back with her only to be bottom of the Samcro totem pole once again. He may act like it's nothing but really when he didn't have it he would remember then that it was something.

She shook her head from his hands and reach for the can of corn behind him. "Your produce is shit by the way." She placed the corn in the cart and continued to walk.

"So that's it? Conversation over?" She nodded turning the corner to the next isle.

"For now." She told him as she disappeared.

::

"I just don't understand why the fuck he would do it." Dillon was multitasking at the moment, balancing his cell phone to his shoulder and the grocery bags in his hand, while attempting to hold her hand as they walked. Summer minding her own business strolled along beside him as he talked to his president.

"I had no idea he was that deep with Jimmy." She reached for a bag offering her assistance but was denied, he was trying to impress her with his strength, and it was working. "Yeah I mean how could I say no?" He side glanced Summer and wondered if she was listening to the conversation.

She twisted the ends of her hair as she walked and drifted away from his conversation with his president into their conversation at the grocery store. Could she actually live in this placed? She looked up at the cloudy sky and tried to remember when exactly the last time she had seen sun. Could she actually leave her family behind, no, correction, could she leave Ava and Tara behind and live in a place without them? She shook her head as she thought it. Could he actually give up everything and move to charming? Where would he live? Would he expect to live with her? Then she wondered where would she live? Would she stay in David's house? Yes it was technically hers too but it was David's to begin with. She could sell it but then she wouldn't want to keep the money, because it would really be his money. Maybe she could give it back to his family... once again she shook her head no. Well one thing for sure was there was no way she would allow some other man to move into her husband's house, it just seemed disrespectful. Oh and then there is the cabin... "shit" she thought... why the hell had she agreed to leave Charming in the first place, she had so much to take care of when she got back.

She was so involved in her thoughts that she hadn't heard the running behind her, she felt it but she hadn't heard it, and from the way Dillon reacted he hadn't either. The boy ran between them pushing his way through them knocking them both to side, Dillon solid as a tree remained standing well Summer stumbled to the side, she kept her eyes on the child no older than 7 who wore the evidence of a street kid. He glanced back connecting his eyes to Summer for split second and gave her a smile that told her he was sorry. His little face would be another thing to haunt her dreams, oh goodie.

"Shit." Dillon balanced Summer with a hand before she had a chance to fall. The cop that chased the boy was smart enough to go around the couple.

"Freeze!" the cop yelled in chase of the boy.

"You alright beautiful?" Dillon asked. "No not you" he told the phone tucked against his ear.

"I'm fine." She brushed invisible dust of her arm at least she thought it was invisible, one glace at the white sleeve of her long sleeve shirt had her almost in tears. A hand print much smaller than any child she knew was stained in brown to the back of her sleeve. "Oh my god." Her bleeding heart now poured out onto the street.

"Shit I gotta go." He ended the call and stuffed the phone in his pocket.

"Look at this" she held up her arm so he could see the sleeve. "Did you see how young that kid was?"

Dillon glanced in the faded direction of the cop. "Yeah what was he like 12?"

"Uh he was like 7" She brushed the dirty mark off her sleeve. "How is that even possible?" She continued to walk again her hand in his once again.

"You wouldn't believe how many kids live on these streets."

"That's horrible." Once again Summer showed her naivety towards the real world.

"I've seen that kid before he is a little shit." Dillon had never been a fan of holding hands, even if it was Summer's, this would be the one thing that wouldn't change for him. Pulling his hand from her, he wrapped his arm over her shoulder instead.

"He's probably just trying to survive." Summer tucked herself into his chest. "He just needs to be given a chance."

Dillon had he been a girl would have rolled his eyes at this moment. "You're too soft, kids like that are like wild dogs, they'll remain that why no matter how many chances they get."

"No I don't believe that."

"Oh and what would you know about it?" Part of the reason why he liked the arm over her was so that he could let up on the death stare he had been doing for the last 3 hours towards any man brave enough to look in Summer's direction, with his arm over Summer's body no man would question if she was available, also he like being in control and with his arm over her should her could control the pace of their walk and the direction.

"I don't know." She had been silent for a few minutes to think about it. "But I do know every child deserves the chance at a childhood so maybe I would do whatever I could to give him one."

Dillon snorted.

"And love every child deserves the chance to be loved so add that to the list."

"A childhood and love." He turned the corner with her under his arm. "And would you still love him when he robs you blind?"

Summer looked up at him with a glare as he laughed.

"I don't want to talk to you anymore." She snaked out from under his arm.

"Oh love." He laughed. "Come on I'm just joking with you."

Her arms crossed over her chest which was pretty difficult do to the bags in her hands.

"Whatever." She picked up her pace making her always be a few steps ahead of him, he wasn't complaining he liked the view she was giving him. He wasn't sure why he had "debated" with her in the morning about her choice of pants, his side had been that leggings weren't pants and there was no way in hell she was leaving the house in them. Now it was him enjoying the view as he followed behind loving the way the material hugged her body, yeah him and about a block full of men weren't complaining.

::

Ava was sitting outside when Tara returned home from work.

"Hey." Tara slumped down into the patio chair still dressed in her scrubs and fall coat. "I was thinking about what you had mentioned before."

"I have mentioned a lot of things you may want to narrow it down." Ava spoke with a pencil between her lips as she used her finger tips to lighten the black charcoal on her page.

"I was thinking about the stories you and Summer (mostly Summer) told me about camping."

Stopping her art in motion she glanced up at Tara. "Why?" the pencil remained.

Tara shrugged. "I was thinking about everything you told me today at work and I realized I don't have those kinds of memories. All my memories revolve around either this club or this town or getting my Ph.D."

Ava gave her a good hard stare. "And?"

"And maybe when things settle back down again we could go, just the three of us."

"Camping?" Ava had to make sure they were on the same page.

"Camping" Tara's eyes lit up with excitement.

"You know Summer doesn't remember to mention how much work goes into camping."

"Do you not want to..."

"Obviously I'd go." She returned her focus to the pad propped up against her knees. "Maybe it's actually time we initiate you into our little group." She took the pencil from her mouth. "Properly." Ava held up her left hand so Tara could see exactly what Ava meant. From across the patio table Tara noticed the scar running diagonally across the palm of Ava's hand.

"Oh I'm so in."

::

He wasn't used to someone ignoring him; he definitely wasn't use to caring that someone was ignoring him. She had gone about putting the groceries away and tidying up in complete stubborn silence as he stood in the doorway trying to engage her in conversation, she didn't even glance at his shadow.

The silent treatment went from kitchen to living room where he finally snapped. There on the couch where two people silently sat he reached his limit.

"Alright!" he had had enough. "Your right!"

She lowered the book she was pretending to read so that he could see just her eyes over the pages.

"No kid deserves that sort of life style even if they are little shit heads."

She slowly started to raise her book.

"I'm sure he is a great kid that was just dealt a shitty hand."

Her book stopped.

"I'm sorry I made fun of you and your insanely large heart."

She smiled behind the pages.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" He tipped the book forward exposing her smile.

"See now doesn't it feel better to just come out and say it."

He tilted his head as if to say "what?"

"That I am always right." She raised the book back up as she started to laugh.

"I never said always." He took the book clean from her hands and read the cover. "The Night Circus."

"It's one of my favorites."

"Hmm..." now it was his turn to ignore her.

When she realized what he was doing she reached for the book, little success there as he held it just out of reach.

Her mouth dropped at his little game.

"Excuse me." He put his hand up in her direction. "I'm trying to read here please." His face was humorously serious.

"Oh yeah well it's upside down." When he was distracted by looking at the right side up book she pulled it back. "And you can't start in the middle, you have to start in the beginning."

"Read it then." He didn't wait for her answer and soon she found him lying next to her his head beside her and his arm around her.

"Alright." She turned to the first page. "But if I read this to you have to take it seriously."

"Serious got it." He closed his eyes as his head rested against the arm rest of his couch.

She glanced up at him knowing he wouldn't stay awake through the first chapter.

"Alright here goes. The circus arrives without warning..."

::

It was actually Summer who didn't last through the first chapter. From in his arms he held the woman who slept peacefully against his chest. One of his hand held the book while the other stroked the hair away from her face. He had been so lost to the world she was reading him that when her words turned into soft snores he needed to continue the story. She had turned into him the second he pulled the book from her hand and made herself comfortable against his body. There was a bit of pride in his heart knowing that it was him that made her relax, it was him that she needed to hold, it was him that she trusted enough to fall asleep beside. Trust was probably the most important thing to him, she had trusted him to keep her safe on his bike and now she had trusted him enough to keep her safe in her most vulnerable state, sleeping.

His cell phone must have rung for about the 20th time since she had fallen asleep and yet it remained unanswered. Had he really considered giving everything he had worked this hard for up? Would he seriously pack up and move to Charming? Absolutely. If she wanted him to come with her all she would have to do is give him the word and they were gone. The patch was just a patch, he had his whole life to get another one, where Summer was not just another girl, she was everything.

Against him she moved closer to his body causing him to look from the book at her. She wasn't just tucked into him anymore she now held onto him with her left arm thrown over his waist and her right gripping onto his shirt, her head though still remained shoved into the crock of his neck.

Of course nothing stays peaceful long for anyone involved in the club.

::

A banging on his door woke her up from a dreamless sleep. He was already reaching behind him for the gun tucked into his jacket.

"Think you can obey me this time." He didn't move until she nodded, of course she was still more asleep than awake and would agree to anything he asked. "Good girl." He kissed her forehead and laid her back down after he got up. She seemed to instantly curl into the warm spot his body left on the couch.

He had been walking to the door when the second loud knock did the trick in waking her up.

As he had earlier today he hid his armed hand with the door frame as he opened the door.

"Afternoon Son." His father nodded from the other side of the door frame.

He nodded his hello and shift his body to give him little view of the apartment through the opened crack of the door.

"Aren't you gonna invite your da in?" The man dressed in a tailored suit asked.

"No." Dillon told his father. "Why are you here?"

"I've been calling you all day."

Dillon didn't move from the door and gave his father a look that told him to get on with it.

"Jimmy is trying to make a deal."

"And?" Dillon asked his father as though he cared, he should care.

"Seems he wants one thing."

"And?" once again Dillon wondered how this affected him.

"He just wants safe passage out of Belfast. He is asking for Father Ashby to tag along for good faith that the IRA will let him pass."

"Jimmy will kill him." Dillon couldn't even believe it was considered; Galen seemed to agree with his son and nodded.

"Probably but that isn't all."

Now the part that affected him.

"He wants a little insurance from Samcro."

Ever run face first into a brick wall, well that's pretty much how Dillon felt right at that moment. Galen pushed the apartment door open and smiled to the pretty blonde sitting on the couch.

"Hello there Princess." he smiled.

::

"No, nono no, no no no,nononono" he was approaching the 40th no.

"Yes." She gave her answer cutting him just shy of that number by one.

His father had taken it upon himself to invite himself in to the conversation.

"That's very brave of you dear."

"No it's not gonna happen." Dillon literally slammed his foot down; of course no one was paying him any mind.

"Does my dad know?" she was speaking only to Galen.

"Ay. Jimmy reached out to him I believe yesterday night to make the offer. Your father declined."

She put the tips of her fingers to her lips and tried to understand why her father would say no when it came to getting back his grandson. Of course if it had been brought to her first Abel would have been back with his family by now.

"You aren't really considering this?" Dillon was pacing, he was panicking and he was pacing.

"Of course I'm not considering this" she seemed offended he would even ask. He released a breath thinking the idea was too crazy for even her. "I'm doing it." She finished just as his breath of release was finished being exhaled.

"No you're not!" he voice roared through the apartment, she didn't jump.

"I'm not yours." She snapped back surprising both of them for a second.

Galen stepped out of their path, probably the smartest thing he had ever done.

"Fuck you." Dillon countered, to whom though it didn't matter. "He is going to kill Ashby we both know it what the hell do you think he is going to do to her?" This was directed to his father as he physically turning to face his father.

"He is just using her to get out of Belfast. He has given us his word the girl will not be harmed."

"His word?" Dillon snorted. "His word means shit!" Dillon looked back at Summer. "I'm sorry it's not going to happen."

"You know you can't stop me right." She gave him a small smile. "You know I will do this right."

"I will do everything in my power to stop you." His eyes went from rage to pleading in 2 seconds flat. "Summer he will kill you don't you get that. There has to be another way. Please give me some time I'll figure it out." His eyes were slowly becoming wetter the more he spoke.

She looked at the father for a second and then approached the son; slowly she raised a hand to his face.

"I'm doing this. I'm sorry. If you think for a second that you can stop me then everything we have shared in the past few days was for nothing. If you think for a second that I'll allow you to stop me then you don't know me at all." He looked away from her eyes.

"When?" Dillon looked past her towards his father.

"Jimmy is going to call with the time and location. He has decided to give us a 10 minute time frame so that we aren't able to organize a surprise attack. We haven't told the club yet." Galen glanced at Summer. "Or your father."

Dillon let his head fall back for a second. "So you want me to hide this from my club?"

"Jimmy has promised to kill the girl first should anything happen to him."

Summer hadn't heard that last part; she had been too busy trying to remember Dillon's face.

"I'm sorry I can't let you do this."

"You can try." She by this point would be able to recall his heart break which had been written on his face the moment she left the apartment, which would be in exactly 29 minutes and 5 seconds.

::

The time after Galen had left had been awkward for the two. Dillon refused to let her out of his sight and she just played along. Every time his phone rang they both looked at each other as though it would be the last, finally 28 minutes after Galen had left Summer decided enough playing around, it was time to eat.

"Baby can you help me?" Dillon made sure the kitchen windows were locked before she entered the room.

"Yeah what do you need?" She held her breath as she waited for him to answer, she could hear him in the living room. Standing next to the door frame she tested the weight of the object in her hand, moving it back and forth getting a good feel for it. He wouldn't notice her right away when he entered the kitchen, however he would notice her seconds before he saw black.

Making sure he wasn't dead she left a note that she had quickly penned next to his unconscious body that was labeled "Please don't hate me", and ran for her bag she had kept packed next to the bed. Pulling the jeans over her leggings and the hoodie over her shirt she ran for the door flipping through his phone for the last called number.

"Change of heart son." Galen answered with a smugly voice.

"Where do I go?"

She got the address, she got the time, and was gone well before Dillon regained consciousness.

::

"Has anyone seen Jax?" Gemma walked into the club house half concerned over the disappearance of her son.

"Said he needed to clear his head left about 5 minutes ago." Opie spoke into his shot; Gemma gave the bearded man a half smile.

She had that mom feeling twisting away in her gut. "Anyone talk to Summer lately?" The feeling gnawed away at her insides, why it was she had no idea.

::

Jax paced back and forth in the alley of the address he was texted to go to. The number was anonymous the message was vague and against better judgment he showed up alone, now he waited.

He did all the things that people do when they are nervous, he bit his nails, he smoke a cigarette, he got hives. He didn't wait for long before he heard footsteps behind him.

"Jackson." The thick Irish voice crept up from behind. He spun to see the priest with a grim look on his face.

"Father Ashby what's going on?" he didn't do well with surprises, hence the hives.

"Has no one told you?" the priest gave a small smile. "You're getting your son back."

"What how?" Jax's voice cracked as his body flooded itself with emotion.

Head lights from a vehicle flashed over the two men, no make that two men and one woman.

"Summer?" Jax asked the shadows of the building where he thought he saw white hair hanging down from a hoodie, he had, she stepped out of the cover of darkness.

"Looks like we have all made it." Jimmy used Summer's distraction to her brother as a chance to approach. "Now then let's go." Jimmy nodded at the priest and then the girl.

"Wait what?" Jax's head was moving so quickly looking back and forth between Jimmy and the other two people it looked as though it could possibly snap off. Summer passed by her brother on the way to the car and of course was stopped when he grabbed her wrist. "What is going on?"

She looked at Jimmy and begged him for just a second to explain, he nodded.

"Make it quick."

"Jax." She turned to her brother. "Jimmy got your son back for you but in order to give you your son he has asked for safe passage out of Belfast. The IRA gave him Father Ashby and Samcro." She took a deep breath. "No I am giving him me." She locked eyes on him at this moment silently telling him to listen because the next words out of her mouth were extremely important. "By me going with him I am giving him the insurance he needs so that nothing will happen to him from now till he is out of the country, do you understand." She waited till her brother nodded before she continued. "You cannot come after me until Jimmy is out of Belfast, do you understand?" once again she waited till he nodded. "Jax." She refused to let herself sob but by holding it in her voice became shaky. "I'm giving you a second chance at happiness; please don't let my sacrifice be in vain." She closed her eyes when she saw tears form in her brothers. "No matter what happens Jax I love you, understand." He nodded. "No matter what happens you will always be my brother and I will always be your sister and I will always be grateful for the time..." a tear slipped from her eye. "I love you."

Jimmy cleared his throat. "Touching." Summer pulled her hand gently away from Jax's and mouthed that she loved him once again.

"In the car." Jimmy told both the priest and the girl; once they were locked behind the door he had his right hand man bring him the baby.

"Just a reminder." Jimmy smiled holding the baby in his arms. "Anything happens to me before I am off of this rock your sister is the first to die." Jimmy made sure Jax was complete aware of how serious he was. Once Jax nodded he passed the baby over. "Remember Jax." Jax looked up from his son's face. "I'm the one that save your boy."

Jimmy walked away as Jax looked down at his son once again. "I'll never let anything happen to you ever again."

Jax held his son to his chest as the black Mercedes pulled out of the alley, he hugged his son, he smelt his son, and he wept into the blue blanket covering his son.

Then he saw the flash caused by a bullet leaving a gun, and then he saw another one.

::

Dillon ran into the club house dried blood on his face. "Where is she?"

From a private table McGee and Clay stood up. "Where's who?" Clay spoke through clenched teeth; of course he knew exactly who he meant.

When Jax walked into the club house with red rimmed eyes and a baby in his arms Clay's worst fears came true.

"No." Out of all the other times Clay's world imploded around him, this was the worst.

Jax looked at his step dad and shook his head.

Now isn't it funny that its silence that peeks people's interest, the moment a room goes silence is the moment people get interested.

"Oh my God" Gemma saw only one thing, her grandson and ran to take the baby in her arms. She had yet to notice that her son was crying or that her husband was on the verge of a stroke, she also hadn't noticed the man with the bloody forehead.

"Gemma." Bobbie nodded towards her family.

"What?" She looked from Bobbie to Clay. "What?" her heart dropped as she prepared herself for the bomb. No one rushed to speak. "What?" she snapped. "What?" this time she knew it was serious and let herself sob out the question. She looked from Clay to Jax then back at Clay.

"I think you need to sit down for this." Clay pulled out a chair for his wife who held her grandson almost too tight.

::

She looked out the window trying to see the Belfast airport through the red liquid that coated it like a film. The man in the perfectly tailor suit sat beside her reading a newspaper causally as if he hadn't just put two bullets into the back of the priest's head.

"Here." He reached out holding a passport; she didn't look away from the window so he placed it on the seat next to her. "Oh and I suggest you put that ring back on your ring finger. It'll help with playing the part." He returned back to his paper. "Oh and clean that shit off of your face." He was referring to the blood splatter that he had caused when he killed the man sitting next to her.

Listening to what he said she slide her rings back on her ring finger and accepted the wet nap that Donny passed back to her. She could see him in the rear view mirror as he drove and he seemed to give her an "It'll be alright smile."

When Donny finally came to a stop in the back of the parking lot she couldn't get out of the car fast enough, the smell of death was covering her body and a second longer in that car and she would be a vomiting, hopefully on Jimmy.

"Let me have a look at you." Jimmy stood in front of her and pushed the hoodie off of her head, with another wet nap supplied by Donny he wiped a missed spot on her forehead. She refused to look him in the eye as he cleaned her. "Too bad your bruised, but we can't all be perfect." He tapped the tip of her nose with his pointer finger. "Come on wife our new life awaits." He grabbed hold of her hand and led her towards the airport.

"Wait" she finally spoke up. "I was told I was just getting you out of Belfast."

Jimmy laughed. "Were you now?" He continued to walk away from their vehicle a clap like grip on her wrist. "Let this be a life lesson then, don't trust anyone."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." She pulled her hand but it didn't come free. "I'll scream."

"Oh I love a fighter." He pulled her into him surprising her with his strength, the click of a gun took all the fight from her. "Ask yourself just how desperate I am to get off this island." She raised her jaw and turned her head the second she felt his breath on her skin. "Now play the fucking part and when we get state side I'll cut you lose." He pushed her forward and she stumbled for balance but quickly fell in line. Okay she could play along because guess what Jimmy; she had Gemma, and right now she was thinking "What would Gemma do."

Elliot had just finished going over the flight plans for the return trip back to Charming. He was tired; man he couldn't remember a time when he wasn't tired. He had stopped walking so that he could rub his eyes and was nearly run over by a man in a hurry. The unfortunate woman who was attached by the hand to the man in the impressive tailored suit glanced an apologetic look back at him.

"Summer?" he rubbed his eyes until he was positive it was her. "Summer!" he yelled once again but the couple became lost in the heavily crowds. Pulling his phone from his pocket he dialed a number.

"Missing something?" he said the words the minute the call connected.

::


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**A chapter of conversations:**

**A conversation between a devastated father and an emotional step mother:**

"They are gone." He said.

She didn't need to be with Clay to know that he would be pacing, he would be ghost white, and he would be tapping his pockets looking for a lighter.

"What do you mean they are gone?" She asked.

He didn't need to be with Gemma to know that she would be balancing a baby in one arm and a bottle of jack in the other, she would be pacing the front of the bar trying to keep a strong wall of defense raised.

"Elliot had found what flight they were on before we got here. A Mr. Liam O'Connor and his wife Cara O'Connor boarded a flight to London about 20 minutes ago. I am looking at the plane now." He stared off as the plane continued it path through the clouds.

"20 FUCKING MINUTES!" Gemma slammed the bottle onto the bar waking Abel from his peace filled carefree sleep. Maureen stepped up reaching for the baby as Gemma's wall began to quickly crumble. "Fucking London?" She sobbed as her body collapsed onto a chair. With a hand resting against her head she cried. "How do we get her back Clay?"

"Galen has reached out to Jimmy's contacts. A few have confirmed that Jimmy has been in contact with them and offering them deals too good to be true. The IRA believes he is making the rounds as he returns state side, from there he will be heading towards South America."

"So we just let him drag her along for the tour of gun running scum?"

"What other choice do we have Gemma?"

"Uh, find out where he is going and meet him there?" she spoke as if it was blindingly obvious. Only problem no one knows where he is going.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to my daughter."

"You already have!" She cut her words at him; he didn't need to be with her to feel the effects of her icy stare.

"The IRA has promised to help me get her back."

"And you believe them?" She was blown away by the idea.

"What choice do I have?"

"Then you're an idiot."

She hung up her phone and glanced around the bar her eyes stopping on the man who sat next to the Irish president, a man who still had dried blood coated to a large goose egg on his forehead.

"And you." She coldly looked him up and down. "Her husband wouldn't have let a little bump on the head stop him from protecting her."

"Yeah well a bullet did." Dillon smiled causing Gemma's eyes to widen. She left without another word.

"Really?" his president asked trying to cover the smile on his face with a full pint glass.

"The bitch knocked me out with a frying pan and left me on my kitchen floor."

"The bitch?" McGee smiled once again.

"I think I have a right to be pissed off at her; once again she knocked me out with a frying pan."

McGee shrugged. "Hey didn't you have some sort of bet going with Liam something about her sucking your junk before she left."

Dillon leaned back against the chair he was sitting on and flicked his bottle cap onto the tap, he said nothing.

"You win?" McGee asked.

Dillon thought for a second before he answered. "Nah man, I lost everything."

::

Dillon left the minute his American brother's returned empty handed. He was half way to the bike when a fist connected with his jaw. He adjusted the jaw that would now always have a click and looked at the bald man rubbing a throbbing fist.

"What the fuck is that for?"

"Her husband was my best friend." Happy told him as he headed towards the club house.

"Long live the bro code" he mumbled as he turned back towards his bike, a quick movement of blonde hair had him looking beyond the bike.

He recognized the figure instantly. "Hey kid." His voice was so intimidating that the boy stopped on a dime, hand shoved deep in pockets the boy froze and looked at the biker that was quickly approaching from across the street. He recognized the man the second he saw his face and knew this would be about what had happened with him, the man, and the woman.

"Listen I was just." The boy started to explain.

"You hungry?" That was the first question Dillon had ask the boy that would forever be a part of his life.

::

**A conversation between a very angry biker and an apologetic woman:**

"Hey." Her voice sounded a million miles away, it actually was a million miles away, but that wasn't the reason why she sounded so far, she sounded so far away because she was speaking very quietly, she was speaking quietly because she was nervous.

"Hi."

He had returned to his apartment with a plus one and heard the high pitch ringing of a phone, not just any kind of phone, a cell phone, not just any kind of cell phone, her cell phone. Running through the living room, hurdling over the couch he made it to the room to catch the call on the last ring; she had forgotten her phone on the dresser still attached to the charger he had plugged it into the night before.

"I'm sorry." He closed his eyes as the first of many "I'm sorry" were spoken.

Inhaling deeply he said nothing and waited for her to continue.

"I never wanted to hurt you I just needed you to understand how important this was. To be fair I said you could try to hold me back. Technically I warned you."

He remained silent.

Hugging her legs to her chest she sat in the air plane chair between her "travel husband" and his right hand man.

"I just wish I was enough to make you want to stay." He finally spoke up.

Now it was her turn to close her eyes. "Dillon." She could feel a trail of wet leave the corner of her left eye. "That was never the problem. It was never about me wanting to stay. It was that I couldn't." She opened her eyes to glare at the man to her left; he glanced down at her then returned his eyes to the paper, a smug look on his face.

He sat on his side of the bed holding her prepaid phone to his ear. "He didn't let you go in Belfast?" Course he knew, he wanted to hear the words from her.

She shook her head in response before speaking. "Nope." She popped her P. "I guess you could consider this one of those life lessons on trusting people." She glared once again at the man to her left as she hear Dillon growl, hell Jimmy could hear Dillon growl.

"I'm mad Summer I just want to make that clear."

She bit her bottom lip.

"I'm mad that you knocked me out just to escaping me. I'm mad that you put yourself in so much unnecessary danger. I'm mad that I'll probably never see you again. And I'm fucking livid about how much I actually care about you."

A smile formed on her face.

"I'm sorry." Jimmy began tapping on his watch telling her the call needed to come to an end. "Dillon I have to go."

"Wait!" he quickly said.

She waited.

He tried to think of the perfect thing to say. "I'll wait for you." Perfect would be considered an understatement.

She hung up the phone before her sobs could ruin the moment.

Fact about Dillon:

If we were to check in with Dillon 5 years from today, no let's say 10 years... he would still be waiting.

::

**A conversation between a nervous killer and an over protective best friend:**

"We have a problem." He started.

"What?" Ava asked in her always impatient voice.

"Summer's gone."

The line went dead.

::

Summer had no desire when she was growing up to travel the world; she was beyond content with reading about other people travels. She liked the safety of home and had enough adventures in her own back yard that she never felt the need to leave. That was a contributing fact to her fear of flying, luckily for her the air hostess kept her drink topped up through the flight from Belfast to London which was actually a stopover just to refuel so it would be able to make it to South Africa. Donny stayed by Jimmy's side as Jimmy led his "wife" to a waiting vehicle after paying a handsome price to sneak through customs. This wasn't like getting a good seat at a restaurant which would have impressed some people, this was criminals out smarting criminals and Summer was not interested in involving herself in their games. For the most part Summer refused to look at him or what he was doing believing in the old motto of see no evil, hear no evil, the hearing was easy as she kept to her own world through the music of her iPod.

Pulling her head phone free he nodded towards the hotel. "Hungry love?"

She retrieved her head phone and held up a very appropriate finger.

"Someone gets cranky when they are hungry." He mocked her in a childlike voice.

"You said we were going to America."

"Eventually we are going to go to America." He smiled to Donny who glanced back at them through the rear view mirror. "What's the rush? I'm taking you on a trip of a lifetime."

She scowled at him. "A trip of a lifetime would be the trip home."

"To America or back to Ireland." She turned away from him. "You know I would have thought your first call would have been to your husband not some asshole biker."

She remained silent.

"Maybe that is because Prince Charming is dead." He pulled out a file from his bag. "David Andrew Hale died Oct 24th due to a gunshot wound to the back."

Her head snapped to him and she saw the picture of her husband attached to the file.

"Where did you get that?" she reached forward but he held it just out of reach.

"Bullet became lodged in his heart resulting in a quick and painful death." He tapped his bottom lip with his pointer finger continued to read. "Was promoted to Police Chief days before death and married to one Summer Ledet aka Summer Morrow currently known as Summer Hale." He used that pointer finger to point at Summer.

He continued to silently read before looking up at her. "Oh I'm sorry." His eyes seemed momentarily sincere. "The involuntary termination of a pregnancy must be so hard especially when it happens the same day your husband dies."

She sucked in her breath and turned away from him.

"Don't you think it's kind of quick to move on? Especially from such an outstanding human being, a really great guy if you ask me." He gave her the "a-ok" sign with his hands as he continued to read.

During the process of looking away she caught Donny watching her in the mirror giving her another sympathetic smile.

"You're an asshole." She told Jimmy before placing her head phones back into her ear. "Also I hope you die a slow and bloody death." He had wounded her and caused reacted in the way she felt, like a hurt little child.

Jimmy smiled as he glanced out his own window satisfied in her reaction.

::

The plane had landed the people had departed and now a family stood in a parking lot reunited, almost. Tara hugged Abel with all her might needing to feel him, smell him, and hear him.

Jax noticed the lack of a best friend and felt a hint of fear over what her reaction would be when he confirmed the information she had been forewarned.

"Well?" Clay needed to know exactly what they were walking into.

Tara looked up from the baby to the man who had yet to experience the wrath of Ava; she actually barked a laugh by accident before regaining composure. "Well I haven't seen too much of her since Happy dropped the bomb." She rocked Abel. "By the way you might want to give the prospects some time to finish the cleanup following the wake of Hurricane Ava." She gave Clay and Jax a sarcastically grim grin. "Oh and you should probably be armed when you do see her."

Clay glanced to Jax and Jax glanced to Gemma, Gemma closed the circle by looking towards her husband.

"Send Happy?" Gemma suggested what they all were thinking.

::

She waited where she knew they would show up first.

The clubhouse.

The two prospects had just restocked the back wall when she entered the building causing yet another hole in the back wall from the impact of the door, Phil sighed and went to get the patching putty and paint.

"They aren't back yet." Miles stayed cautiously out of her way.

She didn't say anything as she headed towards the kitchen and he didn't try to engage in any more conversation.

Like a police department dealing with a hostile situation they sent in their negotiator while keeping a safe distance from blow back. The club set up base in the parking lot while Happy slowly approached.

Once inside he was directed to the kitchen by a shaky finger that belonged to a nervous prospect.

"She's just a woman you little bitch." Happy reminded him.

"No man that is not just a woman." Miles corrected him.

He peeked into the kitchen through a crack in the door trying to place her first before he entered, really he was trying to take inventory of her possibly weapon selection. She was sitting on the counter feet in the sink.

"Feet in the sink?" He asked himself out loud.

Opening the door like he wasn't scared for his life he strolled in.

"What are you doing?" he approached the woman on the counter, feet in warm water, bag of frozen peas on the back of her neck.

"I have a migraine." She told him.

"And this helps?"

"Yeah." She kept her head between her knees.

"Uh so we are back."

"Looks that way." She slowly turned her head to face him, his heart sped up for a second, not out of fear, but out of surprise, surprise with how much she actually affected him. He missed the little fire started when he was gone and he hadn't realized how much until now. "Where is she?"

Happy shook his head. "Last I heard she is in London. Clay is keeping the pipe lines open and we will know the minute they arrive here."

"Here in California or here in America."

"I don't know." Happy was a lot of things, a liar wasn't one of them. He would be able to say when looking back on whatever it was that Ava and him had, he never lied once to her.

"I will hurt you." She tucked her face between her knees again. "I will hurt all of you if anything happens to her."

"Alright." Happy took that as his queue to leave and left without another word.

::

"Don't get comfortable we aren't staying long." Jimmy held her arm right above the elbow as he led her into the dark night club. When he had opened the door moments ago he had flooded the space with sun light disrupting the people in the room who hadn't seen the light of day yet.

One look at the men in the midst of a poker game had Summer trying to back herself out of the building only to be stopped by the hand on her arm and the strong body of Donny behind her.

"Now do I trust you to stay by yourself or do I need to bring you with me?" she looked from the men who looked at her like how a dehydrated man would look at a rain cloud and pushed herself closer to Jimmy causing him to loosen up on his grip.

"You can't leave me here." She whispered to him.

"Will you be a good girl?" He could see the fear in her eyes and took that as her promise to listen. Of course this would all be a game to him, he had no intentions of leaving her alone, ever.

Together the three of them headed towards the only door in the club, by the time they reached the door, he had to tell her to back up a bit due to her practically walking on top of him, she apologies, sort of, and remained just as close.

One knock

Two knocks

Three knocks

The door opened.

"Jimmy my friend!" A white man with a deep South African accent greeted Jimmy after opening the door with extended his arms.

"Loki you little shit." They hugged, well they attempted to hug, it was kind of awkward with one of Jimmy's hands still attached to Summer.

When the hug broken Jimmy reintroduced Donny and then Summer.

"Your wife?" Loki or whatever his name was Summer could careless, took the time to look her up and down. "American?" he asked Jimmy.

Jimmy nodded.

"Still have all her teeth?"

Jimmy nodded.

"Pity." Loki reached forward to touch her face but she flinched into Jimmy's arm. "But pretty little blonde American who looks like a kid could catch you a pretty penny if you're interested."

Her gag reflex began to tingle.

"Nah not this one." Jimmy gave her a reassuring pat on the hand. "This one pleases me."

She picked up on a few words, this one and pleases me. How many other women had not pleased him or been in her position. She closed her eyes to keep the vomit down. She could feel Donny standing close behind her and prayed he liked her enough to convince his boss that it would be a bad choice to leave her behind with this Loki fellow.

Now that Loki seemed to be uninterested in her, he turned back to Jimmy. "Come sit my friend let us have a drink and catch up on old times."

"Actually Loki we are in a bit of a hurry."

Loki tilted his head as if he didn't understand what the word "hurry" meant.

"We are here in passing on our way stateside."

"Stateside." Loki nodded heading towards the only piece of furniture in the room, a round table with 4 chairs, he took one and nodded for Jimmy to take the other. Before Jimmy accepted he pulled out the chair to his left for Summer and nodded for Donny to take the chair to his right. "What's the fun in Stateside?" He spat to his left as he spoke leaving a gob of brown on the floor by his boot. Once again Summer's stomach turned. "No no you stay in Rhodesia with me and we fill our pockets with your gun money." Loki nodded agreement to his suggestion.

She hadn't realized she was shaking her head until Jimmy's foot bumped hers.

Loki leaned forward again once again interested in the "wife" of his gun supplier.

"I'm actually here for a favor." Jimmy's words of a possible "favor" had Loki's moss green eyes light up. She remained staring at the man who now faced her "husband." He could possibly be 35 to 40 in age or he could be younger for all she knew, his face was almost baby like or would have been had he not been scarred over half of it. The diagonal scars ran from the top of his left hair line over his left eye towards the corner of his right mouth, three thick scars in white stood out against his sun bronzed skin. As Jimmy began to speak of favors Loki glanced back at her for a quick second and gave her a wink. The wink wasn't meant as anything romantic or alluring, no it was to say "caught you looking," which there was no way she could deny the fact that she had been staring.

"Perhaps" Loki interrupted Jimmy. "Jimmy let's leave the business side of our friendship to just us." Loki glanced from Jimmy to Summer then back to Jimmy.

"You honestly think I would leave my wife alone in a room with your men." Jimmy laughed, Loki laughed, Donny and Summer didn't laugh.

"Do you trust your own man to keep her safe?" Loki nodded towards the man not laughing without looking away from Jimmy. "Why not let him prove himself?"

That was how Summer and Donny ended up cast out of the gun runners club.

::

Donny had found a chair for her to sit on and remained positioned at her side hand on the trigger ready to defend not in the name of Jimmy but in the name of Summer.

"Please you have to help me." She couldn't stand his silence any longer and needed to know if he was actual friend or foe.

"It is difficult to see a situation for what it is when you are in the midst of it" He stared straight ahead even as her head snapped to the side.

"What did you just say?" she knew the words that he had spoken well; she had probably read them at least 100 times, the last time she read them was to a man as he held her tightly in his arms, in his flat, on his couch.

"While some of us have lost our way a few still believe in the reasons behind the cause." He watched the men to the left dealing each other in for another round of poker. "And some of us still believe that family is more important than business." He gave her the only indication that he might be friend at the moment, a quick glance that held her eyes for all of a second.

She looked back towards the poker game being played by the 5 men all heavily armed with fire arms strapped to their backs, legs, chests. For the first time since getting herself in this "situation" she felt safe, let's call this a future life lesson #2: don't trust a man hired to protect you, because in the end it's all about who has the most money right?

::

"You know Tylenol would probably be quicker." He stood in the door way and watched Ava from afar.

She remained untalkative but at least gave him the attention he needed by looking towards him.

"No welcome back?" He took a step into the kitchen. "No it's good to see you?"

Silence.

"Well I certainly missed you." Clay smiled and slid a "Kiss me I'm Irish" shot glass across the counter towards her.

Like a child she pushed it away the minute it touched her, rude would be to push it to the floor, she wasn't rude.

"Listen Ava I didn't even know she had gone it till she did it."

"When I was 8 I wanted this Girl Scout Barbie." She rolled her eyes and tried to smile. "I had saved all my birthday money and chore money to get it." She looked down at her feet. "Summer had done the same we were gonna get matching dolls, we had matching everything, it was a thing we did." She looked back at Clay. "On the way to the store this kid in front of us was eating an ice cream cone and it for whatever reason fell on the ground. The kid was a slobbering mess and Summer being the saint she was bought him a new cone, then she bought me one, bought the next three people in line one and then gave the rest of her money which was only a few dollars as a tip to the worker."

Clay didn't need to be reminded of the good heart of his daughter, but he enjoyed hearing the past through Ava's stories.

"Summer selflessly gave away her money." She took the bag of peas off of her neck. "I still got the doll." Kicking out her feet from the sink she looked at Clay. "She would have done it no matter what we told her to do, because in the long run it was the right thing to do. She is like a fucking moth to the glowing light of righteousness." Jumping off the counter she grabbed her shot glass. "Maybe that is what I'm mad the most at, the fact that it's so easy for her to jump into the burning building without so much as thinking of herself where as I only think of one thing, me."

"What's your last name?" he asked before she reached the door.

"Why?"

"Just want to get to know you a little better." He gave her a small smile.

"Really? Well what's in it for me?" she remained poker face as she stepped out of the kitchen.

::

As a family they attended the OB/GYN appointment where Jax won a bet against his old lady.

"I knew it was a boy." He held up the ultrasound picture again towards the light as he confirmed the sex of his son one more time.

Tara lay on the examining table and wiped jelly from her bare belly, Abel always in sight slept in his baby carrier seat next to her.

The pride on Jax's face vanished when he saw the way Tara looked at Abel.

"You thinking about Summer?"

Tara nodded. "How could I not?" She pulled the shirt over her growing belly and climbed off the table needing to feel the warmth of Abel once again. "Jax what if..."

He stopped her. "There are no what ifs in this case Tara. You need to believe me when I say I have a plan in place."

"Really Jax and would it include a genie in a lamp or three magical beans." He could detect a hint of Ava's sassy attitude which seemed to have been rubbing off on his old lady.

With a smile he shook his head. "No beans and no genies just deals and favors." He loved watching how natural Tara made motherhood look. "I'm going to let you in on a secret."

She stopped her rocking of Abel the minute he opened up to her. Putting the baby back in the carrier she sat next to Jax in the awaiting chairs of the examining room.

"The enemy of my enemy is more friend then foe." She tilted her head to the side and she listened to what Jax was saying.

"I don't understand." She was a smart woman but even her high IQ was no match for Jax's riddles.

"I'm working on something to keep you, me, our boys, Summer, fuck even Ava safe." Jax reached forward and pushed some of Tara's dark brown locks behind her ears. "I'm gonna to do whatever I can to keep my family safe Tara and you have to trust me alright."

Tara nodded.

"Tell me you trust me Tara."

"I trust you Jax." She said is if it was as natural to her as it was to breath.

::

**A conversation between a disappointed father and his absent daughter's voicemail:**

"This is my last and final warning Kitten. Either you answer your phone on my next call or you will live to regret it.

**A conversation between a scared best friend and a voice mail belonging to one M.I.A Summer Hale:**

"He has been calling again." Ava sighed. "Says I'll live to regret my choice by not answering his next call. Oh and he is back to calling me kitten which makes me believe that the marriage between him and her is quickly coming to an end. That or he has finally realized I have severed all ties to him." She exhaled a deep breath. "You know I've come to accept the fact that I will probably always have to hear or deal with every tiny to huge issue that you may have." The woman he listened to sighed. "I have accepted the burden that you are bound to have a problematic life. But doesn't it seem a little convenient that the minute shit hits the fan for me you're suddenly missing." Ava laughed. "Well played Summer mon coeur...Well played." - _Mon coeur – my heart_

::

Dillon had finally broken down and listened to the voice mail that had for the last hour beeped on the phone left behind by Summer. It was during dinner that he now listened to the message left by an unknown woman. He could only pick out a few words that the other woman had spoken and quickly wondered why her accent seemed more intense than Summer's.

His dinner companion sat across from him at the table Dillon had purchased earlier today and dug into his second plate of BBQ chicken, rice, and mixed vegetables. This would be the second meal Dillon had ever prepared in his whole life; yesterday's meal was the first.

"Caleb, God Damn chew before you swallow." He reminded the starved boy for the third time in the course of this meal.

Caleb the boy who is actually 7 but could pass for 5 due to a severe case of malnutrition looked up from the plate with bits of rice stuck to his chin.

Dillon smiled at the boy as he closed the phone and stuck it into the inside of his cut. He had never realized how much he needed an old lady until he lost his; he had also never realized how much someone needed him until he was reminded that sometimes someone just needs to be given a chance at being a kid.

The one person who really won in the end of it all was Caleb No Last Name who with the help of a few forged papers and a whole lot of money became Caleb O'Shay adoring son to grateful father Dillon Marcus O'Shay.

::


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Some might say the mother had the hard job as the parent, other could disagree, and those who know for certain that the father's job was sometimes the hardest were those that were single fathers to daughters.

A father in Charming California spent a sleepless night on the phone mapping the location his daughter was possibly in at this very moment, he also sharpened a set of knives for the man who took her.

A father from Louisiana paced the hallway of his plantation home leaving message after message for the daughter who appeared to be ungrateful for the love he was offering.

And finally another father returned home after a week abroad to find a daughter who had gotten herself into the black hair dye and surrounded herself with a new group of friends including a 13 year old boy with a Kool-Aid green Mohawk, all in the name of finding herself.

Yup raising a daughter was definitely not for the faint at heart.

::

Opie sat that the kitchen table watching his children eat their morning breakfast. It was as if overnight his little girl turned into the young woman, a young woman that now sported dyed black hair, dyed black eye brows, and a "do it yourself at home" lip piercing, Lyla promised that it was fake... he prayed it was.

"Any word on Summer?" Lyla whispered as she leaned over him pouring a cup of coffee into his "Must Be Monday" mug.

His head shook slightly as to not give the kids any cause for concern over the possibility of a new problem in their innocent little lives.

He continued to stare at his daughter as she shoveled cereal into her mouth while texting away to God knows who, he was impressed with the fact that never once had her eyes moved from the screen to the cereal bowl. Man her hand to mouth coordination was amazing.

"Dad are you gonna take me to soccer practice tonight?"

"Huh?" Opie looked towards his other child.

"David was picking me up for practice but... "

"What?" Opie was so lost in this conversation he looked towards Lyla. "David who?"

Lyla's eyes opened a little wider till he finally realized who David was. He was so use to calling him by his last name that he had almost forgotten that Hale had a first name.

"Yeah I can take you." Opie looked back at Ellie when he saw out of the corner of his eye movement from her end of the table.

"God Kenny get a clue daddy is way too busy to spend any time with you." Ellie mumbled with a mouth of cereal.

Kenny instantly looked down at his bowl.

"Ellie" Lyla sighed.

Opie remained speechless.

"Well its true God!" she had made the word God sound more like Gawd.

"Ellie that's enough" Finally he found his voice.

"Fine!" she stood up from the table and tucked her cell phone into the backpack resting on the back of her chair. "I mean it's not like he was a better dad or anything." She pulled the back pack onto her back pulling her black t-shirt a little tighter to her body. "He was just there."

The 11 going on 20 year old left the room in stunned silence.

"Have a good day sweetie!" Lyla called out before the front door shut.

::

Happy was in no rush to return to his bike especially when he had the unexpected guest to look at. From inside the bank he watched the brunette lean against his bike in a way that should be illegal. Course for him it was boner raising to many others they probably wouldn't give her a second glance.

Ava bit her nails as she leaned gingerly against the side of the bike her legs crossed at the ankles in front of her and her arms crossed over her chest. The summer weather had come and gone and now she donned her first pair of actual pants. She couldn't remember the last time she wore anything longer than shorts, mark that down for a new experience in Ava's life.

Happy had a new appreciated for long lines especially now that he had pushed her patience and still she remained waiting, for him. Internally he growled for the girl for he had been watching the last 20 minutes in her leather leggings and dark jean button up shirt tucked into the front of her pants. He also used this time to pick out little details he would normally have missed had she been anyone else, hair had seemed to grow another inch since the last time he had seen her and when she wasn't biting her nails she was pushing her bangs up and away from her eyes, he also caught a hint of her natural color peeking through the roots of her head.

"Sir?" the woman behind the till cleared her throat for the second time. "Sir, will that be all?"

He blinked himself back to the here and now and nodded. "Yes ma'am" He smiled taking the money from her shaky hand. "You have a nice day." He told her as he tucked the money into his cut before turning to see more nervous banking customers. He lived for this moment. He lived for the fear that poured out of "normal" people. He gave a woman standing in the long line a sinful smile as he passed and loved the way she seemed to fold in on herself hugging her bag a little tighter as if that small bag would be able to protect her from him.

With a satisfied grin he left the bank to face the next thrill in his life, Ava.

::

"You waiting for something?" He asked as he walked past her to climb onto his bike.

"You have to stop calling me." Since his return he had kept up with the communication, only this time it was more than just once a day. In the last 24 hours he had almost called every hour, seems he was a little on the concerned side when it came to her wellbeing.

"Really and why is that?" He crossed his arms over his chest and made himself a comfortable as you could be when straddling a bike.

"Because I'm fine, I'm going to be fine, and it's none of your damn business."

His head moved side to side as he considered what she had said.

Apparently that was all she had wanted to say and thought it was important enough to wait 20 minutes in the chilled October morning. "I'm not yours to worry about." She told him over her shoulder as she began to walk away.

"But you could be." He on the other hand wasn't willing to let this conversation die just yet.

"I own myself!" she turned back and snapped surprising both him and herself with her sudden emotion. They both looked down at her finger pressed firmly against his chest. "I'm sorry" her voice was no louder than a whisper as she pulled her finger back.

"Ava I never wanted to own you, I just want to fuck you." He smiled down at her. "Repeatedly."

"You're a douche lord." She took a step back.

"Hey you want it too." He took a step forward. "Care if I refresh your memory to a certain phone call."

Her eyes widened.

"Wanted." She corrected him. "At one point in a moment of weakness I may have wanted your cock. But now that moment has passed and I am very satisfied with myself." She held up her right hand to prove a point as her cell phone rang with a ring specific to the caller, and she ignored it.

"Might be important."

"It's not."

He had backed her into a wall, literally.

She wouldn't back down and he respected the shit out of her for her fight.

"I was drunk." She put her hands in front of her to stop his chest from touching hers.

"You just waited 20 minutes to tell me something that you could have texted me." He looked down at her hands on him then back at her face.

A beep told her the caller had left a message.

"Important enough to leave a message." He told her as her hands did little to stop him when he took his next step forward.

The two had completely forgotten about how crowded the sidewalk they were on, but honestly though did they really care? Hell no.

"I will never love you." Ava whispered locking her eyes on his.

"Who said anything about love?" He reached forward slowly waiting to see her reaction, when he got none he continued and didn't stop until his fingers were brushing her hair away from her face. He had never felt anything so soft in his life; his callused finger tips brushed away the silky strands of her hair. He cautiously watched her eyes for a hint of a possible flight or fight from her but he found nothing and growing a little bolder he moved away from her hair and with his thumb stroked the lines of her jaw.

Her cell phone rang once again with that horrendous song.

Inhaling a deep breath she shook her head and returned her hands to his chest.

"Ava" his fingers dug into the back of her neck holding her in place as his forehead fell against hers. His voice was so deep with desire that for a second her own need nearly came to the surface, nearly but didn't.

His biggest regret of the day would be how easily he let her walk away.

::

Whatever the favor had been Summer was not privileged to that information, it also seemed Donny wasn't either.

She could hear Loki before he opened the door and for a second found relief in seeing Jimmy's face, not in know he was okay, he could die a slow and hopefully horrifying death for all she cared, she just prayed it was when she was back in America. No the relief she felt was that maybe they could leave this shit hole and head for home, America home.

"You sure you won't stay for dinner?" Loki kept his arm around Jimmy's shoulder. "I promise to behave." Loki looked at Summer in a way that made Donny stand a little straighter.

"As much as I would love to I fear my wife is getting a little tired and when she is tired." Jimmy gave a suggestive laugh.

"See maybe if I would settle down I would learn the little quirks of a woman." Loki patted his friend on the back. "But why have one when I can buy the whole village." He laughed to himself as Jimmy gave a halfhearted smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"My friend I thank you once again." Jimmy pulled the man in for a hug.

"Fly safely." Loki hugged him back and patted his back hard. Then they spoke in a language that sounded too beautiful to be coming from these horrible men. The brief conversation ended with them looking at each other and both of holding the arms of the other. And then it was over and no more words were spoken and Jimmy stepped back motioning for his company to join him.

Donny nodded as he passed by but Summer wasn't so lucky. The second she was in grabbing distance Loki struck. She gasped in surprise making Donny spring into action.

"Just saying good bye." Jimmy reassured his number one guy and nodded his approval to Loki.

Summer cut her eyes from Jimmy to Loki. "Good bye." She told him through clenched teeth as she tried to continue her path from him to the door but his grip was preventing her from doing much moving. She closed her eyes and prayed for this to end well, for her.

"I think you are scaring her." Jimmy laughed which instantly made Loki laugh, Summer and Donny didn't laugh.

"Am I scaring you?" She could feel her bones crunch in her wrist as he held her tightly, waiting for answer.

"No." She spoke again with clenched teeth.

He smiled a yellow toothy smile "Maybe I'm not trying hard enough." She turned her head away and stared at the ground. He stared at her for what felt like an hour but was really only a couple of seconds. And then it was done, as quickly as this show of intimidation began, it ended.

"Well old friend." Loki turned back to Jimmy. "You are a lucky man. It will take a lot to break this one." Loki laughed and patted his friend on the back once again, and like that with a pat on the back the three were finally dismissed.

On to the next name on Jimmy's list.

::

This was not the man she remembered, the man who had left for Ireland liked his space when he slept, the man who returned now slept holding her tight against him that includes using his arms and a leg to hold her in place.

She was literally cooking when she was finally able to wiggle herself free from his grasp. Inhaling a cool breath of morning air she looked down at the man who in his sleep was reaching for her body. Within seconds of him realizing she wasn't near he woke up in a panic.

"Tara" he gasped as his eyes opened.

She had never seen him act this way and yes it was sweet BUT it was also alarming, why was he suddenly so concerned for her.

"Hey" she sounded reassuring as she lay back down in his arms, once again blown away by how much heat his body could produce.

"What time is it?" he closed his eyes again the second he felt her safe in his arms.

"10 to 9."

He inhaled deeply and pulled her closer.

"I would love to spend the day lying around in bed with you but…" Abel's cry reminded Jax of their everyday responsibilities.

"I'll get." Jax was about to volunteer but Tara bet him to the punch.

"I don't think so." She smiled as she climbed out from his arms the t-shirt of his that she wore rising up giving him a good morning view as she climbed off of the bed.

After she left the room leaving him alone with a morning present she could unwrap when she returned, alone, he reached for the phone that began blaring to his right.

He checked the caller id before he answered. "Yeah?"

"Spain." Clay told him.

"Spain?" Jax asked as if it meant something.

"Met with his contact an hour ago didn't go the way it was supposed to apparently."

"What the hell does that mean?" Jax reached for a smoke on the dresser next to him.

"Seems the Godfathers gave a better offer."

"And Summer?"

Clay exhaled. "Arriving stateside late tomorrow night with Jimmy." Jax could hear the relief in his father's voice. "Jimmy will be calling to make the deal."

"Which is?"

"Doesn't matter." Clay inhaled his cigar. "He won't last long enough to see it go through."

Jax smiled liking the mind frame his father was in.

"Nobody puts my daughter in harm's way and lives to remember it." A chill seemed to cover Jax's bare skin. "Jimmy O will die the minute his foot hits American soil."

::

She didn't know Jimmy well enough to know his little "quirks" but she did know when a man was silent it was normally not the time to provoke him. So using her brain she sat silently on the couch beside the chair he was sulking in. Her knees were pulled to her chest and she flipped through the channels on the hotel TV. He had sat in the arm chair for the last hour, his pointer fingers chapeled against his lips and his elbows resting on the arms of the chair. Donny had left 20 minutes ago after taking the time to prepare a menu for them that neither one had any interest in.

"Can you stop that?" his voice cracked as he spoke for the first time in the last couple of hours, clearing his throat he tried again. "Stop that now!"

She removed her thumb from the up button on the remote and placed it beside her on the couch.

The room became uncomfortable again, when moaning from the TV filled the silence.

"I'm gonna change the channel." She announced her hands scrambling for the remote.

He waved his hand in front of her telling her to go ahead.

The made for TV porn was replaced with an old translated to Spanish John Wayne movie, this may be possibly worse than the porn, this made her miss her dad, she looked away from the TV which also meant away from Jimmy and towards the door.

"I need to make a call." Jimmy announced as he went from sitting to standing. "Be a good girl and I'll reward you with a surprise." He smiled as he headed towards the bedroom for a little privacy.

She was alone.

She continued to sit with her legs to her chest.

She was alone.

She turned to look at the TV and watched John Wayne race his horse through a dusty deserted town.

She was alone.

Finally it hit her and her legs flew away from her and towards the floor. She stood up looking around wondering if she could make it to the door. Where would she go when she got to the door? She couldn't speak Spanish so she couldn't tell them she needed help. Maybe they would understand her well enough to give her directions to the police. THE POLICE! They would have to help, right? She instantly remembered how crooked the guards were in the airport both here and in South Africa, "Money talks" she quickly told herself but... whoops she had none.

She ran for the door, took a deep breath, and reached for the knob... it opened.

::

An addiction had run rampant through the streets of Charming. An addiction that reared its ugly head at 8:00 am every morning, an addiction that cost Ava $1.65 every day, sometimes twice a day, this was turning out to be an reasonably priced fix.

Darla the coffee shop worker sighed when the morning bell rung announcing the arrival of a new customer, to be fair she did this every time the bell rung, not just to Ava, well maybe extra loud when she saw Ava. Darla was the perfect example of a person who hated her job, now she didn't just hate her job, she hated puppies, she hated sunshine, she hated new born babies and she most definitely hated Ava.

"You know." The middle aged woman spoke from behind the counter a medium apple cinnamon tea already poured in a to go cup. "You would save a lot of money if you just bought this tea and made it at home."

Ava approached the till money ready in her hand. "But then I wouldn't have you to wish me a good day." Ava gave her best "kill 'em with kindness smile" as she exchanged money for her "drug."

Darla rolled her eyes and moved on to the next bane of her existence, the next customer.

"Have a wonderful day Darla." Ava shouted over her shoulder as she headed towards the door; hear like always no reply from the woman.

"Are you Ellie's aunt?" she heard the voice before she reached the door. Spinning on the toes of her boots she turned back to see a group of 4 girls dressed to match in layers of black on black.

"What's it to you Wednesday Adams?" She watched the 4 girls in their matching clothing raise their hands to sip their exact same triple triple coffees. She raised a brow and wondered to herself why the hell kids felt the need to drink coffee.

"Is it true you're a witch?" Clearly the one Ava called Wednesday was the ring leader of the bunch.

"A witch?" Ava repeated.

"Cause Ellie said." A girl in the back began to speak but was quickly silenced by a look from the pack leader.

"Is it true or not?" She snapped at Ava causing Ava's jaw to drop.

"Why I never." Ava said out loud. "Where the hell is your respect for elders you little brat?"

Wednesday crossed her arms over her chest causing the other three to do the exact same. "So are you or aren't you?"

"And if I was?" Ava sipped from her drink.

"Yeah right" Wednesday rolled her eyes. "You don't look like a witch."

"Don't I?" Ava looked down at the dark washed second skin jeans on her legs and the open flannel red shirt tucked into the front of her pants. "Funny 'cause I bought these from witches r us." Rolling her eyes she pushed on the door to leave. She used that time her back was turned to cringe at her retort to the little angel, not her best but come on she was dealing with children.

"Prove it." The girl continued.

"Learn some manners" Ava smiled at the group before she left the coffee shop. While sipping her tea she pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

"Morning little lady." She told the girl who answered the call. "So I'm a witch?"

::

Summer was a horrible liar, for all her life she was never blessed with the ability to tell a lie. So when Donny walked into the hotel room bumping into her at the door she attempted on the spot to come up with viable reason for being at the door at that exact moment.

"What's going on here?" Jimmy stood in the bedroom door way and watched them both.

"Uh." She looked exactly like a girl caught mid escape.

"Just helping me with the door." Donny held up the bags of food in both of his hands.

Jimmy looked from one liar to the one trying to look believable. "Yeah he just knocked." She tried to hold his gauze as if it would make her seem more believable, it worked.

He watched her for a second long before reaching out his hand exposing the black object. "Because you've been such a good girl." She looked from the cell phone to him. "One call and keep it short."

The phone was in her hands so quickly he wouldn't have a chance to change his mind. She turned her back to him and dialed praying her one call picked up.

"10 minutes" she heard him tell Donny as he took a bag full of

un plated food and headed back towards the room.

"Are you okay?" The voice asked on the second ring. Summer exhaled a deep breath and closed her eyes as Ava answered.

"How did you know it was me?" She asked as tears began to soak her lashes.

"Oh haven't you heard I'm a witch."

"I've been telling you that for years, course I've been using a b instead of a w." Summer smiled and walked away from the man pretending to prepare their meal instead of listen.

"Seriously though are you okay?" Ava asked again the humor gone from her voice.

"I'm fine." Aside from being dragged along for the ride without her consent she had been treated fairly. One could argue that she had been treated pretty damn well when they looked at the hotel room she was staying in. "Seeing the world one sleazy hotel at a time." Proving how horrible of a liar she was Summer wiping away a few tears when she heard the concerned sigh from Ava's end of the line. "I didn't call to talk about me. I called you to talk about you."

::

"I am clearly on my way to employee of the month." Ava's tea had long cooled with only a few sips drunk out of the cup, it didn't matter though what mattered was on the other end of her phone. "Possibly every!"

"Every?" Summer mocked hugging her legs to her chest. The 10 minute mark on their conversation had passed, an hour ago. Donny sat next to her on the couch two plates of food, one eaten one empty between them. Jimmy remained in the bed room with the door firmly shut and for all Summer cared he could have hung himself in the on suite bathroom.

"So I guess I shouldn't be leaving messages on your phone?"

"No, unless you don't want me to ever get them."

"He answered once."

"Who?" Summer knew but wanted to hear the words from Ava, somehow it mattered what Ava's quick judgment of the man meant.

"Dillon." Ava made her voice sound very seductive.

"And?"

"And what?" Ava's normal voice returned.

"And what do you think?"

"Of a voice?"

"Yes."

"I think he sounds Irish." Summer laughed her lighter than air laugh feeling closer to normal, well closer than she had felt in a long time. Only Ava would be able to get her back to the norm, maybe Tara, she hadn't tried that route yet though.

"Speaking of Tara." Summer stated.

"We were speaking of Tara?" Ava questioned.

"How's Abel doing? How's the baby doing?"

"Abel is well I don't know how to tell you this." Ava started and Summer's heart dropped.

"What?" she cautiously said the word.

"Abel is going to steal your heart all over again the second you see him."

This was one of those moments you would slug your friend in the arm if you were with them, she had to settle for dropping a fist on her knee.

"You scared me."

"Summer little Abel makes even my uterus kick. Honestly I didn't even know I had a uterus till that handsome boy caused it to palpitate."

"You have a uterus." Summers comment made Donny choke on spiced piece of lamb, she hoped it was lamb, she hadn't tried hers yet.

A beep told them the call needed to come to an end voluntarily and soon.

"Can I ask when you are going to be back?"

"No." Summer for one didn't know the details of her return, if ever she was returning which made the tears start all over again. Also she didn't know exactly how much trust in Donny she should have, and she didn't really want to push the small amount they had for each other now beyond the limits.

"I love you." Ava told her.

"I love you." Summer returned the feelings.

"I promise when you are back I'll take you camping."

Summer smiled and ended the call. That little promise Ava made was something she would hold her friend to, and that was a threat not a promise.

::

Ava stuffed the phone into the pocket of her red work coveralls that were still a few sizes too big and still very unflattering. With a smile she watched the lone biker pull his motorcycle to the curb of other familiar bikes, it wasn't so much the biker that she was interested in, but the bike he parked beside.

"Time for a douse of your own medicine." She watched as Juice entered the strip club. With a sinister grin on her face she crossed the street and didn't stop until she entered the strip club.

She spotted her prey almost instantly and found it unusually easy to blend in with her surroundings, course she was fully clothed and drew little interest from the patrons of this fine establishment.

Sitting down next to the man who wore a leather cut and had been flooding her cell phone with calls was also shockingly easy. She even was able to make herself comfortable in her chair before anyone that knew her noticed her.

Happy was too distracted by his thoughts to look away from the blonde stripper, course he didn't see a blonde stripper, he saw a brunette with bangs and a sassy attitude, he saw a woman with a small frame and mile long legs that were built to be wrapped around his neck. He saw, no he heard someone clear their throat. Doing a double glance to his left he saw the woman of his imagination.

"Fancy running into you here." She smiled and reached for his beer, the same bottle he just drank from, the same beer he was trying to keep in his mouth and not on her.

"What are you doing here?" Clearly he was surprised by her presence and wasn't able to hid it.

"I'm sorry is it okay to just suddenly show up like this?" She glanced to the front of his pants raising an eye brow towards the straining denim front.

He was not one to be ashamed or embarrassed about anything, sitting back in his chairs he opened his arms as if to say "what are you going to do about it."

Check and Mate he had called her out and she for the first time in possibly ever she had no come back, mark that down for another life experience today for Ava.

Her jaw dropped for a second.

"Wanna put that open mouth to good use."

She felt the fire of humiliation on her face, another new experience for her.

"Are you blushing?" He sat forwards crowding her personal space with his. "That's the hottest thing I've ever seen."

"Hot?" Ava returned with her cynical self. "Hot?" she repeated. "Of all the words to describe me you pick hot?" The flush left her checks and she rose to standing. "Get a Thesaurus and then we can try it again."

"So you're not going to suck my dick?" he called out making his brothers finally notice the quickly retreating brunette in the red gas station uniform.

She couldn't answer desire once again returned to her cheeks in the form of crimson blush.

::


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Ava had never a day in her life felt awkward, embarrassed, humiliated whatever the hell you wanna call it, and worst of all she didn't know how to react to her emotions. Her finger nails were chewed by the time she entered the gas station, to add to her humiliation her lips and teeth were now a lovely shade of faded black from the thick layers of charcoal embedded underneath her nails.

"Going Goth?" The high school boy whose shift she was covering asked from behind the till.

"What?" she mumbled walking past him catching a glimpse of herself in the chrome coffeemaker. She gasped the second her eyes saw the black.

"It's a good look for you." The pimple faced punk walked around the counter and headed towards the door. "It's hot." He winked at her before he left into the dark.

She watched him leave as she grabbing a napkin and wetting it with her spit and began to wipe as she walked behind the till, scrubbing down a layer off her lips.

Tara entered shortly after baby carrier in tow.

"What's wrong with your lips?" Was the first thing Tara asked.

Ava now scrubbing black from her pearly whites rolled her eyes. "You are awkward, how do you handle it?"

"What?" Tara asked as she pulled Abel from the baby carrier.

"Never mind." Ava opened her mouth and pointed to her teeth. "Still black?"

Tara shook her head. "Seriously what?"

She held up her chewed nails with the black that permanently covered her fingers.

"Ohhhh" Tara finally got it as she patted Abel's back.

"Please say you brought me dinner." Ava leaned over the counter to see if she was hiding a plate of food in Abel's carrier.

"I brought you something better."

"Better then food?" Ava rightened herself behind the counter and gave a very perfect "Your joking right" stare.

Tara slid the envelope on the counter in Ava's direction.

Picking it up she flipped it over a few times and then placed it back on the counter. "And this is better than food how?"

"Because this is going to make sure you're able to buy lots and lots of food."

Ava tilted her head to the side.

"Can you just read the fucking letter?" Tara snapped in a whisper as to not wake her baby.

"Oh God." Ava saw the letter head through the envelope and ripped it to shreds in order to get at the paper inside one glance and Ava looked back up at Tara. "Tara what did you do?"

Biting her lip to hold back a smile Tara watched as Ava looked at the letter. "What you wouldn't."

"I can't afford too."

"Yes you can they have a great scholarship program" She waited for Ava to ask what scholarship program. And when the answer didn't come quick enough Tara answered for her. "Me!" She squealed.

Ava's smile vanished. "I'm not taking your money."

"Of course you are." Tara was practically vibrating with excitement.

"No." she put the letter back in the shredded remains of the envelope. "I can't let you do this. I won't let you do this."

Tara's own smile dropped a little. "Ava you will do it because I want to you to get the education you deserve. I'm in a position where I can help and you're in a position where you can accept it."

Ava closed her eyes for a second and inhaled so that she would be able to keep her emotions in check. "Tara if I accept your money it would be as though I owe you something. If I take your money then I'm going from living off of one person and moving on to another. Thank you for mailing in my application which by the way I know for a fact I did not fill out, but."

*ding* the door opened and a customer came in.

"You don't owe me." Tara continued now that Ava was distracted by work. "Consider it an investment."

Ava shook her head as she reached for a pack of smokes in the cabinet above her head. "Seriously Tara I appreciate it but..."

"And what if I've already paid?"

Ava gave Tara a stone cold stare the second she handed the pack to the customer. "Please say you didn't."

Tara's lips rolled back into a line to keep her from smiling.

"Tara." Ava whined, once again a noise she was not use to making.

"I'm sorry there was a dead line." She made sure to hold the baby front and center so that Ava could keep her anger in check. "And the check cleared this morning." She said the last sentence really really fast.

Ava's shoulders dropped as she stared at the tattered envelope holding her future. "Then you let me pay you back."

"Okay."

"With interest."

Tara snorted. "Fine at what rate?"

"Three hundred and thirty seven percent."

"Deal" Tara said shaking her head.

::

Happy watched as his VPs old lady pulled out of the lot having spent most of her evening with his little fire cracker, she was now finally alone.

Pulling into the gas station he first filled up his fuel tank and then took his time heading inside. Apparently though she had been distracted by the paper in her hands that she hadn't noticed the man pull into the lot of heard the little bell that told her she wasn't alone in the store.

"Planning on getting robbed?" he asked making her jump almost out of her skin.

"Fuck Happy!" she cried out folding the paper and tucking it away making him want to know what was on it now more than ever.

"What's that?" he nodded towards the envelope.

"Nothing that concerns you." She scowled tucking the letter into the sea of red that made up her pants.

"Do you honestly think that would stop me?" He smiled throwing a $50 onto the counter. With a smirk she took the money and rang up his gas.

As she handed him back his change he shook his head. "Got a tip jar or something?"

"What?" her voice was dead serious.

"Figured I should pay you for your fine performance during that little show you put on earlier."

She dropped the money on the counter in front of him; the sound of scattering money filled the silent store. "I don't want your fucking money."

He had offended her just like he had when she made it clear that she was her own person.

"You're mad at me." He smirked

"I am now." She leaned back against the back counter and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You've been off since I came back from Ireland is everything okay with you?" He picked his change off the counter and tucked it into his pocket.

"You have known me for what a month, that doesn't make you an expert on me, and honestly you've been back for a day."

"Two days and yeah you're easy to understand."

Her mouth dropped open; no she wasn't easy to understand she had purposely made herself complicated for intentions of keeping people out of her life.

The cell phone from her pocket rang out once again, the third time Happy heard that programmed song.

"Who the fuck keeps calling you?" He saw the way her head dropped back and her eyes closed.

Taking a deep breath she raised her head and opened her eyes again. "Wrong number." She forced a smile.

"Wrong number?" he repeated her lie. "Wrong number with its own ring?"

"That's my ring for everyone."

He called bluff on her lie when he called her phone and a very generic ring came up.

"Maybe your phone is the one with programmed ring."

He called her bluff again when he reached behind the counter to the business phone and called her cell making it sing in the same generic ring.

"That proves nothing." She kept her voice monotone.

"Who is calling you?" his voice was serious.

She refused to answer.

He got frustrated.

She got her revenge for earlier.

::

Summer was sound asleep when she felt the tiniest shake of her shoulder.

"Come on little darling it's time to get up." she opened a sleep encrusted left eye first and looked around to find the person behind the gentle wake up.

Donny was walking towards the bed room door to wake his boss.

She sat up quickly surprised that she had fallen asleep in the first place. Wiping the sleep away from her eyes she felt the blanket fall away from her clothing. Holding it bunch in her fist she looked back at Donny who was heading towards the bathroom. How the hell could he work for a monster like Jimmy? Why the hell would he work for someone like Jimmy? She was asking herself the questions when Jimmy stepped out of the dark bedroom in a charcoal suit.

He looked very well rested and smiled to the very unrested Summer. "Hope you found your accommodations to your standard." He gave her a toothy grin.

She turned away from him.

"Well you can sleep in your own bed tonight." He smiled at the back of her head.

She refused to turn around, by turning he would see the relief on her face that this nightmare was soon coming to an end.

"Got to say I'm gonna miss the time we spent together lover." He smiled as he fastened his designer watch around his wrist.

She gagged, out loud, loudly.

Jimmy laughed as he headed towards the table and the breakfast Donny had readied for them, sitting down he unfolded the daily paper and forgot all about her attitude, well really he forgot all about her all together.

Donny returned a few minutes later, changed, and ready for the day.

"I've put out some clean clothes for you." He spoke only loud enough for her. "If you're interested."

She wasn't, she came in what she had and she would remain in what she had.

"I think it would be wise to eat before we leave." He nodded towards the table.

She sighed and stood up from the couch, her stomach could only handle so much lack of food.

Together the threesome ate in silence, anticipation for the day effecting each one of the differently.

::

Clay had spent another night wide awake pacing the halls of his house.

His daughter would arrive home at 1 am this morning flying in directly to Lodi Air Port, and he would be there to thank the man who prevented her from returning home with him in the first place.

Gemma yawned as she left their room running almost directly into her husband as he paced through the dark.

"Jesus" she started to swing when she felt the impact of her body on a large male's body. Sleep finally wore off as Clay yelled for her to stop. "What are you doing?" she held a hand to her chest. "You scared the shit out of me." She swung once more even though she knew exactly who the tall figure was.

"Can't sleep." He told her rubbing this throbbing bicep, the one that took the brunt of her force.

"I know." She headed towards the kitchen. "Once she's home then you'll sleep baby." She flicked on the light and headed towards the coffee pot. "And then we lock her inside the club house and never let her see the light of day again."

He gave a halfhearted smiled as he headed towards the kitchen table.

"I'm sure she would love that."

"I'm sure she would actually, given the experience she is probably having right now." Gemma began the processes of brewing a pot of java.

A knock on their back door had both head's turned. Clay shook his head the minute Gemma turned to answer the door but he offered when he held up his gun, cocked and ready.

Another knock by an unknown night caller had Clay up and at the door.

His need to protect his wife from a possible threat vanished when he saw the brunette.

"Ava what the hell?" he opened the door wide inviting her in.

He re-safety his gun and placed it on the side table next to the door, course Ava was a threat, just not tonight.

"We need to talk." She pulled her phone from her pocket and tossed it onto the side table next to the gun. "When Summer had lost her phone she said that Juice was able to get her a new one."

Clay nodded and looked passed Ava to Gemma.

"Consider me worthy enough to give me a new phone?" she asked without looking up at Clay.

"Of course." Gemma quickly told her. "But why baby?"

The phone and its stupid ring began ringing for the umpteenth time tonight. Ava flinched the second it rang. When she finally looked up at Clay he could see the bags beginning to form around the underneath of her eyes and the look of possible fear.

They locked eyes for a second as Gemma prepared two cups of coffee and 1 cup of apple cinnamon tea.

"Wanna talk about it?" He offered.

She shook her head.

"Wanna tell us about your day?" Gemma offered as she carried the drinks to the table.

"Yes." Ava beamed as the focus on her changed for her problems to the little joys in her life.

The three sat at the table Gemma on one end Clay on the other and Ava in the middle. It was weird, from this angle they almost made up the perfect dysfunctional family, almost.

::

"Would it kill you to smile?" Jimmy whispered in her ear as the approached the boarding area for their flight. His hand was holding her arm leading her through the crowds. "Happy wife means happy life." She pulled her ear away from his mouth and gave him her best sarcastic smirk.

"Good enough." He handed over the tickets and their passports to the lady behind the desk.

"Mr. Nolan." She nodded giving him a little too much smile. Summer rolled her eyes and look away as Donny cleared his throat behind her. "Mrs. Nolan." The woman handed back Summer's passport with a short tone to her voice, she had never felt the eyes of judgment so hard on her before. The woman in a matter of seconds had determined that Summer in her jeans and black hoodie was no match for Jimmy in his designer threads. "Enjoy your flight and thank you for flying with West Jet." She gave Jimmy on last smile before pointing towards the boarding doors.

"Lady he is all..." Jimmy pushed her ever so gentle forward before Summer could finish the offer.

"Hope you were going to say something to give the impression of a happy marriage."

"I don't think anyone would be happy being married to you" Summer pulled herself free from his grasp once and for all.

"That hurt a little." He held up his fingers to show her the small amount of hurt she had caused him.

"I fucking hate you" she mumbled as she followed him to her seat which of course was between him and her guard.

"Oh" he put a hand over his heart. "And here I thought we were making progress." Without the attention of anyone else and really without even looking at her, he reached forward and shoved her down into her seat, not hard enough to hurt but enough to catch her off guard, she landed hard with an oomph as the air came out of her lungs.

"You're like a child." She added crossing her arms over her chest, oh yes she was a role model of maturity.

Jimmy laughed sitting down unbuttoning his designer jacket and fastening his seat belt.

"And your watch looks fake." He was too amused by her attempts to get a rise out of him. He held up his wrist to look at the watch, it was real.

"Are we done?" Donny asked the two of them playing the parent to their childish behavior.

Both Jimmy and Summer ignored him as the flight attendant began locking the cabin doors. Summer's heart and stomach did somersaults, she was going home and soon enough this nightmare would be over. She wondered if she closed her eyes now, the next time she opened them would she be home?

She was definitely willing to try.

::

Ava stared at the acceptance letter reading and then rereading the words "congratulations" over and over again. Tara the little sneak had filled out all of her information, creating half of it in order to get her accepted into the program of her dreams. She would be grateful, no she was grateful. She just to be honest wanted to be completely self-sufficient in all matters of her life. This felt like it was a tiny step back in the huge strides she was making in her life.

Placing the paper down on the kitchen table she watched as the family she was boarding with prepared for the day.

Jax kissed Tara good bye as her and Abel headed to the hospital for her days work. Filling up a cup of coffee he headed towards the table that she occupied with her thoughts and the piece of paper.

"What's this?" he didn't wait for her response and pulled the paper away from her before she could answer. "Sacramento State." He read the letter head. "Wait this is an acceptance letter." He sat down across from.

"He's handsome and can read." She said as she reached for the paper in his hand.

"Yeah Tara's got herself a real catch." He held the paper just out of reach. "Art?" he continued to read. "You're a valuable asset to the art program."

She stood up reaching over the table for the paper.

"Start Jan 14th." He turned sideways so she for sure couldn't reach.

"Jax." She had said his name in a way that told him she had had enough. Holding the paper out she reached for it, once, twice, third time's the charm, she caught it the third time he playfully pulled it away.

"Seriously though I didn't know you were into that sort of thing. I mean I knew you like to draw but..." he poured some milk into his monster size bowl of cereal.

"Yeah thank your wife for the push." She mumbled as she re-read the paper, almost as if to make sure that the word congratulations was still there, that she didn't read it wrong. Deep down she knew what the words were really saying: she was worth it and she was good enough. It was the underlining statement in the acceptance letter that she was having a hard time believing.

She watched Jax eat his cereal very wide mouth and prayed he was doing it for a joke, he wasn't. During his open mouth display her heart began to feel heavy and it didn't take long for her to understand why, she was beginning to hate this town, Charming was making her question everything she had believed for herself, Charming was making her think.

::

Clay checked the clock 12:01

He poured himself a shot.

He checked the clock again 12:01

Chibs sat down the bar watching as each second, he was counting; the president check and rechecked the clock.

"Got word on your girl?"

Clay nodded. "Boarded the plane a few hours ago." He knocked back his shot and repoured, he also rechecked, 12:02. "Landing around 6."

"Word from the Irish is that Galen has been promoted. The Kings have made him Prince."

Clay gave Chibs a look as if to say "so what?"

"Clay." Chibs stood up and strolled over to his President. "Summer got herself real friendly with the new Prince's son."

Clay knew the history he didn't need to be reminded of it.

"Maybe this time we don't use those relationships to our advantage." Chibs leaned close enough for only Clay to hear. "Maybe this time we remember family is family not pawns in our games." Pushing himself away from the bar and the man Chibs left before Clay could retort.

Pouring back another shot the president looked once again at the clock. 12:03.

"Hey Prospect" he yelled to the fat one. "What's that quote about love and war?"

The one called Phil; Filthy Phil to be correct, looked at the president with a confused expression. "All's fair?" his voice shook with nerves.

"Is it?" He was asking the man is thoughts on the expression. "Do you believe that?"

Phil shrugged his shoulders. "I guess."

Clay nodded his response. "I guess." He repeated the other man's answer as he poured himself another shot. "Let me give you some advice son, all is most certainly fucking fair in love and war."

::

You know it wasn't the acceptance letter that had her frazzled, it wasn't the insane amount of calls to her prior phone, it wasn't the fact that yet again Summer had gotten herself in the path of harm's way, it was a man. A man who had her thinking up was down and left was right.

She could deal with the loss of Sack, as hard as it was, sometimes daily. But she couldn't deal with a little attention from a man? Since when.

Determined to face the day without letting him get to her she set forth into the streets of Charming. Proud of herself that she only thought about him once, well now twice as she entered the coffee shop, thought 1 was trying to come to an understand as to why he was having this sort of effect on her, thought 2 was when she compared the man holding the door open for her to the man who made it clear he was only interested in boning her.

She thanked the middle aged business man and continued on her way to the till.

"Morning Darla." She beamed as she placed the money on the counter.

The cup and the money slid back to her. "Seems someone likes you enough to support your little habit."

Confused she looked from the money to the woman. "Huh?"

"Yeah surprised me to." Darla turned away from the girl and headed towards the kitchen. "Seems one person in this world can tolerate you." She told a still confused Ava.

This was no crossing the line, she made it very clear to him that this needed to end, and now he was buying her shit.

Placing the unaccepted money in Darla's tip cup she headed towards the door.

"Ready to prove it yet?" the voice from yesterday called from behind her.

"Not today Mortisha" she told the group of 4 as she passed through the door.

::

Leaning against his tool box he listened to Juice explain what a colonic spa was. Juice had the attention of the entire garage so when Happy noticed out of the corner of his eyes the woman who stepped into the garage it was too late.

"I told you to stop." She walked through the circle of men right to him placing the undrunken to go cup of tea next to him.

"What?" he stood up uncrossing his arms looking from the cup to her. "What are you talking about?"

"The following, the calling, now this." She pointed at the cup on his tool box. "It's not going to happen between us so give up already."

She began to walk away leaving him to be the silent joke among his brothers.

"Wait!" he pushed himself away from the tool box and followed cup of tea in hand. "Do you think I did this?"

She looked back at him over her shoulder with her arms crossed over her chest. "Obviously." Her head snapped forward as she continued on her path to leave the TM lot.

"I didn't do this." The heat from the cup was next to scalding on his hand.

"Right" he followed her onto the sidewalk. "Listen I'm sure some other girl would be completely flattered by all of this but..."

"I didn't do this" he repeated with a growl. "I don't know what you fucking drink." He did but he wasn't about to admit that.

She stopped walking to face him arms still over her loose fitted navy long sleeved shirt. "Great so I have a second you to deal with." She reached forward for the cup, he held it out of her reach.

"That who keeps calling you?"

"No." she reached again and again he held it out of reach. Frustrated she sighed. "I got a new phone." She reached again and this time he handed it over.

"Are you okay?" He asked stepping forward to crowd her personal space.

"With?"

He shrugged. "Life?"

She gave a smirk that turned into a laugh which then turned into her walking away.

"Wait new phone means new number!" he shouted at her. "Do I get the number?"

She glanced back over her shoulder and gave him a smile that would fill his dreams later that night.

::

"Well lover looks like this is the end of the road for us."

Summer was practically jumping out of the air plane chair the second the plane landed. Now that the doors were open and people began departing from the plane she couldn't get her seat belt off fast enough.

"I'd like to say that it had been fun but..." she never finished her sentence as she began to stand.

Jimmy laughed and watched her climb over Donny's legs in order to get to the isle.

"Take care of yourself." Donny whispered as she passed by. A warm smile from her told him that she would do that and more.

"Ma'am I'm gonna have to ask that you wait your turn." A flight attendant told her as she pushed her way to the door. "Ma'am" Summer ignored her as her lungs filled with free air and freedom.

She stepped out of the plane and onto the tarmac and all but ran to the baggage claim, she had heard Jimmy's conversation and knew her father, her family would be waiting.

Throwing herself through the doors leading into the airport she was greeted with stares from strangers.

Frantically look around she confirmed her worst fears, they were at the wrong airport.

"You promised." She sensed him before seeing him.

"I promised to get you stateside which I have."

"You promised to return me to my family."

"Which I will." His hand cupped her upper arm. "I promised you tonight you would sleep in your own bed." He began to lead her towards the exit with Donny in tow. "But I have to think of someone more important then you right now."

"And who's that?" she cut her eyes towards him.

"Me." He smiled down at her. "You honestly think I'm going to let Clay Morrow near me when he comes to pick you up?"

She looked back at Donny who possibly thanks to guilt wasn't able to look at her.

"So now what?"

"Now I put you in a cab and send you on your way to Lodi airport."

"Alone?"

"Alone." He smiled once they reached the first free taxi cab. "Now it's officially good bye." He smiled handing her the backpack she had came with.

"You're a fucking piece of..."

"Let's not forget you're a lady how bout." He leaned into kiss her cheek which she flinched away from.

"I hope you die." She told him in parting as she climbed into the cab.

"Feisty." The taxi driver smiled as he shut the back door.

"You have no idea." Jimmy told the man before he stepped onto the curb. "Take her to Lodi AirPort make sure she goes straight towards the baggage claims." He slipped the man a crisp $100.00 bill.

"Oh thank you Sir." The man smiled.

Jimmy gave only a half-smile to the man before he turned to face Donny.

"Perhaps you would like to say good bye one last time to your wife." The man offered making both Jimmy and Donny glance back at the taxi.

"Nah just get her to the airport safely and..."

The gun was only visible to Jimmy and Donny as the taxi driver turned away from the back door.

"I insist." The man told them with a deep familiar accent.

::


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

As most people prepare for their day they watch the news. The first couple of minutes will tell them of the more serious events that happened while they peacefully slept without a care in the world, and why should anyone living on the right side of the law have any reason to sleep disturbed, their children were either sleeping in their beds or at least they knew where their children were supposed to be.

After the more serious reports were read the weather was predicted 9 times out of 10 it was wrong but still the news held on most people's attention, after the weather though the early morning broadcast became white noise in households trying to either get ready for work, school, or any other productive day time activities. But it was during this white noise that the 1%ers of Charming's wrong side of the law population should be listening to. It was during this white nose that they would hear of a possible mugging that had ended badly for the victim, a victim who based on witness statement was a man, tall, middle aged, with no id.

Clay's head perked up as his wife made breakfast, like most people in Charming she had turned the news on and had lost interested in the station after the weather man predicted rain. His attention was turned to the TV when the reported mentioned that police were looking into possible gang affiliations. Course Clay always played close attention when the talks of gangs came up.

Gemma turned back to the TV just as the weather man came back on with talks of his now severe thunderstorm warning.

"They seriously need to fire that guy." She filled Clay's plate with fried eggs and bacon strips as she looked past him to the sunshine filtering in through the window. "Or give him a fucking office with a window."

Clay said nothing as he looked down at the heart attack on his plate. Summer would kill him if she saw what he was almost about to eat.

Loudly Clay's stomach dropped causing his hunger to fall with it; he pushed the plate ahead of him and gave his wife an apologetic smile.

"It's alright baby." She sat down at the table with her own morning breakfast. Pouring the whiskey into her coffee the two sat in quietly in their own thoughts once again as the news took over the silence.

::

After leaving her money behind in Darla's tip cup once again Ava left the coffee shop only to run smack dab in the chest of a man she was trying to avoid. The sip she was taking at that moment ended up down her chin.

"Dammit Happy." She used the sleeve of her blue flannel shirt to dry her chin and now neck.

"Need some help?" He offered his bare hand.

"Drop dead." She pushed passed him and was quick to put some distance between them.

"Why do you have to fight this so much?" He closed that distance.

She ignored him as she continued, quickly, towards the TM lot.

"I know you feel it too."

"I feel a lot of things, annoyance, irritation, frustration." She kept up with her quick pace.

"Infatuation." He smiled.

She opened her mouth to dispute it but shut it again quickly.

"How about this." His voice was almost soft as he reached out for her arm causing her to stop walking. "Whatever you want to do we will do. If you want to fuck." She shook her head no. "If you want to walk then we walk, if you want to see some shitty chick flick then we go see the chick flick, if you want to bake a cake then we bake a fucking cake but we bake it together."

She exhaled through her nose.

"Whatever you want to do." He gave her a smile that would probably cause women to drop to their knees for him, not her thought, she wasn't swayed by the smile.

"Okay well I want you to leave me alone." His smile fell when his offer was turned on him.

"That's not what I meant."

"Well that's what I want." She smirked and continued on her way to garage.

"You'll change your mind." He shouted at her behind. "I can promise you that darling."

::

Working from a bike that needed a lot of attention Clay watched Ava cross the lot of the parking lot and head into the office of his wife. He watched his most dangerous member follow shortly after only instead of head towards the "girl talk" he came towards the bay for "girl talk." It was after the last joke that set women's rights back about 100 years the garage phone rang. Normally this would be noticed but something about the way it rang made Clay glance towards the window separating his wife's office from the garage.

"Teller Morrow," He could hear his wife answer and then he heard silence. Stepping away from the bike he walked towards the open door leading into her office. He looked from wife to Ava then back at wife who held a hand over the receiver.

"You expecting any calls baby?" His wife asked the girl in the chair who had dropped her head in defeat. Removing her hand from the phone she placed it back against her ear. "Sorry buddy you got the wrong number." She hung up before another word had a chance at being said.

"Was this the same person who forced you to get a new phone?" Gemma asked glancing up to the figure in her door; she waved her husband away before Ava could realize he was there.

Ava nodded in response to Gemma's question.

Before Clay left he stole a glance at Ava and saw her once again in a state where her looked her actual age, where her old soul vanished and left behind a scared 20 something year old child.

"Who is it baby?"

The father in Clay wanted to stay to silently invade Ava's privacy but the president in Clay was pulled in a different direction when he noticed the cop call pulling into the lot.

"Unser." Tig called out from one of the bays.

"See the news this morning." Wayne called out as he climbed out of the squad car.

"Sure did." Clay looked up at the clear blue sky. "Still waiting on that severe thunderstorm." He smiled as the officer approached.

Wayne gave a ghost of a smile. "That body."

"Not us." Clay quickly assumed for the worst, but what do they say when you assume? Two asses stood face to face one with a smile one with serious expression.

"Never said it was." Wayne gave a grim grin. "Feds made a match on the body. Figured with your Irish Intel you would know if something was brewing between them and the Russians."

Clay was thinking as a president and not as a father. If he were in father mode he might read more into this conversation.

"Hadn't heard shit." He whistled Chibs over. "You hear about any shit between Russians and Irish?"

Scratching his head Chibs thought for a second. "That body found in Lodi was it Russian or Irish?"

"Irish. Apparently he was sporting a fresh new bow tie."

Chibs grimaced as memories of a staple Russian calling card filled his mind. "Got a name?"

"Yeah uh." Wayne thought for a second. "Donald Grady goes by Donny."

Clay's world slowed down to a crawl. He heard nothing, he felt nothing, he saw, well no, he saw everything, he saw Chibs throw his hands to the back of his head and let out a frustrated war cry, he saw his son approach with a look of concern on his face, he saw his wife and daughter's best friend quickly come out of the office still innocent to the news he had just been told.

The Russians had his baby.

He blinked.

The Russians had his baby.

He blinked.

"The Russians have my baby." He blew up with enough boom in his voice that people a few blocks away would feel the shockwaves of his anger.

::

"Are you alright?" Jimmy whispered without making his mouth move.

She couldn't even look at him. Sitting on a chair in what was probably a beautiful bed room in a beautiful home, she hadn't taken the time to look around.

Once again she found herself covered in blood of someone that didn't belong to her. Once again she found herself not at home and scared and once again she was also alone in the worst case situation. Donny had protected her, Donny was gone, and she soon she would be too.

"Summer." His voice was so quite she could barely hear it. "I will get us out of."

There was a knock on the door announcing the arrival of their host, the door opened before a "come in" was given.

"Jimmy" the elder gentleman smiled as he walked into their shared room. "It is so good to see you again my friend." He held open his arms to embrace the Irish man. Jimmy moved away from Summer and accepted the hug from the man 15 years his senior. "And who is this?" Viktor nodded towards Summer who refused to budge from the chair.

"Uh." Jimmy swallowed. "Summer Hale. She has been travelling with me. We were in the process of parting when."

"Summer Hale." Viktor cut him off. "Beautiful girl." He moved Summer's face towards him, she kept her eyes looking on anything but the men in the room. Looking past the splatters of blood she still had on her face Viktor saw the faded remains of her bruising. "Your handy work?" he pointed to the yellowish markings on her skin.

"No." Jimmy promised. "Listen Viktor she really is innocent in."

"Summer Hale are you hungry my girl?" Viktor clearly wasn't interested in hearing what Jimmy had to say.

Summer shook her head and hoped that would be enough to make the man leave her alone, it wasn't.

"It's been a long night for you and I insist you eat." He smiled down at her with a warm almost trusting face, he was everything she thought a grandfather would look like, course she didn't have anything to base that one. "Please child you are a guest in my house and I am responsible for your wellbeing."

Her eyes shot to Jimmy's.

"I'll eat if he does." She told Viktor keeping her eyes locked to Jimmy.

"Of course child." Viktor patted Jimmy on the chest as he passed by towards the door. The second Victor was out of the room Jimmy exhaled an overdue breath.

"We are going to die aren't we?" Summer looked away from Jimmy just as a tear fell from her eye.

"I won't let that happen." Jimmy remained glued to the floor. "I promise."

::

"That psychopath has my sister." Jax paced in front of the head stone of his father. He had only felt a panic like this once before; when his son was taken, less than a few weeks ago, this couldn't be good for the old heart.

"I don't really see how that's my problem." The woman pushed herself off of a tall tombstone and approached the biker. "My war is with the Irish not the Russians." Stahl smirked crossing her arms over her chest.

"You want Jimmy I'll give you Jimmy I just need to get my sister back first."

"2 mill isn't something I have just lying around Jax."

"2 mill is going to get you Jimmy. Summer's free on exchange for us setting up a pipe line between Russian and Irish."

"Jax I'm giving you a lot and to add 2 mill to the list really in exchange for just Jimmy O doesn't really sound all that fair."

"Then I'll give more. Whatever you want name it, it's yours."

"Whatever I want." She raised her thumb to her teeth. "I want the kings Jax. I want pictures, names, statements. I want to take Irish off the map." Her eyes widened. "You give me the redheaded kings and I'll give you your sister back."

Jax thought for a minute, turning to look at his father's head stone he came to a decision. Turning to face Stahl he extended his hand.

"Deal"

::

"You've hardly touched your food." Viktor looked from Jimmy's full plate to Summer's.

Three people sat in the Mediterranean inspired dining room, two of them were extremely uncomfortable.

"Is there something wrong with the food?" from the head of the table Viktor asked his guest who sat a little further down and opposite each other.

"It's fine." Jimmy pushed a couple of peas away with his folk. "Really it's fantastic I think we are just both tired from the flight." He nodded towards Summer.

"It was a very long flight." Viktor nodded to Jimmy's lie. "Summer perhaps you would be comfortable with your own room."

She glanced at Jimmy who gave a slight shake of his head, a movement so small that only she would noticed. "The accommodations we have right now are perfect, thank you for the offer though."

Viktor shrugged raising his arms as if to say "oh well" and continued to eat. She glanced up at Jimmy and encouraged him to eat by raising a fork of roast to her mouth.

"Ireland must be so beautiful at this time of year." Viktor was trying to engage them in mindless conversation.

"Aye." Jimmy agreed with a longing look on his face.

For one second she felt sorry for him that he would never see his home again, for one second and one second only.

"Summer how did you come to meet Jimmy?" Victor placed a piece of roast in his mouth.

"It's actually a funny story." Jimmy smiled as Summer's eyes widened.

"Really?" Viktor smiled looking towards Jimmy. "Summer my dear please do tell me about this funny story."

She looked quickly between Viktor and Jimmy.

"He uh." Her mind was completely blank, worst of all her body was breaking out in a serious case of hives.

Viktor's cell phone rang the moment he began to think maybe there was no funny story. Chewing the remains of what was in his mouth he looked at the caller id. "Excuse me." He smiled at Jimmy and then Summer. "Business never stops." He excused himself from the room.

The second he was gone both Jimmy and Summer released a shaky breath.

"You were mugged in Belfast I was the hero, he will like the irony in that. Seems flat enlightened again and we were both on the same flight from Spain to America where you asked me to travel with you so that you wouldn't fall victim again and I agreed." Jimmy spoke low and fast. "We are not lovers, we are not friends we are simple travel companions, and you are in the wrong place at the wrong time." He took an overdue breath. "Most importantly you are of no relations to Clay Morrow or anyone that he could use to his advantage."

"Why was I your wife to Loki but to him I'm a stranger." She leaned towards him over her plate.

"Loki was more afraid of you then you were to him. He would never use that "relationship" to make one of us break. If Viktor kills me he will kill you based on association."

"That makes no sense." She hissed. "If I'm a stranger my life means nothing."

"And if you're my "wife" your life means everything."

She sat back in her chair and pushed the plate away from her.

"Thanks once again for all this." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Really I just want to tell you how much I appreciate this."

He opened his mouth to say something just as the dining room door opened. Viktor stood in the frame of the door but didn't enter the room. "I hate to eat and run but unfortunately I have some business I need to attend to."

"Of course." Jimmy rose doing what was expected of a gentleman dismissing someone from the table.

"Please make yourself comfortable in my home." Viktor smiled only towards Summer. "If you are hungry please by all means explore the kitchen, the staff will be more than happy to assist you."

She nodded her appreciation and watched him leave once again.

"Seriously thanks." She extended her gratitude towards Jimmy once more.

::

Happy stepped into the bar that seemed to be in the middle of their Metallica play list for the night, course it wasn't the good Metallica play list.

The person he was looking for in the shithole bar was the only one without a beard and without a penis, she was easy to spot. Standing in front of the bar she flung back shot after shot, it appear that someone in this place was trying to get her drunk as her shot glass was instantly replace by another the second the empty one hit the wooden top of the bar.

He took a second to watch her from a far; he always found she looked so different in those few moments before she realized he was there. Today though that guard she normally kept up was somewhere on the floor around her feet, leaving her looking young and vulnerable, this was not the time to be vulnerable he would have screamed at her. She was purposely putting herself in a situation that could and would end badly for her, or most likely him. Something had happened in the days he had left her alone, something that had nothing to do with Summer's disappearance.

"Think that's enough." He told the bartender as he approached the woman who rested her elbows bent up on the bar so that her hands could cradle her head.

"I disagree." The mystery buy stepped forward from the other end of the bar, two men of course made up his shadow.

With a smile on his face Happy leaned towards Ava. "So looks like I'm gonna get my ass kicked."

"Looks like it." She gave him that sinfully delicious smile.

"Is it gonna be worth it?" He was close enough to her now that he could smell the whiskey on her breath and the amber on her skin.

"Probably not." She stood up placing herself between the two men. "Boys don't fight over me." She looked at the stranger standing behind her. "My daddy says I'm not worth it." Course if you were to ask her daddy he would probably say something completely different, with a smirk back towards Happy she made her exit and headed towards the door.

Happy of course followed a minute no less later, with a throbbing fist.

::

He entered the club house alone and was greeted by a pour attempt at a Friday night party. Women danced for half the amount of usual brothers, the ones who stayed for the festive party was the ones who either lived at the club house or were passing through, those with homes and families in Charming were nowhere to be seen. Heading to the bar Happy spotted his Friday night regular getting up close and personal with a nomad.

"Ice" he told the fat prospect that instantly made it appear, wrapped in a towel and ready to go.

"Everything okay?" the prospect asked as he handed an opened beer but got no response.

Turning his back to the man he wondered where the hell she had went, maybe he let his hopes get raised when she gave him the smile at the bar, no not maybe, he let his hopes fucking soar. The bitch with the cherry red hair pulled herself off the Nomad when she noticed Happy leaning against the bar, alone.

"Hey there stranger." She smiled as she approached. "Looking real lonely here by yourself."

He leaned back against the bar propping his elbow on it. "You think you can keep me company?" it wasn't yet an invitation, right now it was just a conversation.

"You know I can baby." She snaked her way around his body pressing her fake tanned skin against his fully clothed body. His lungs were filled with the smell of chemically processed coconut.

Don't you just love how timing works, the minute you are in a situation you don't want to be caught in you normally are.

The club house door swung open and in of course walked the woman he would like to invite to keep him company.

Ava approached the two looking like a woman with enough confidence in herself to not be jealous of what she saw. It seemed like slow motion to him as she made her way from door way to bar in leather leggings and long sleeved loose black button up. The look of her made his dick harden, the feel of the woman trying all her best moves against him made it deflate.

"Anything I want?" Ava spoke the second she approached and asked the question as if she didn't see the woman using his body as a pole.

"Anything." Happy reply.

"I just want to go to bed." She reached out her hand.

He took it.

Together they walked to his room.

::

You know those people that come in your life that you can never get rid of, the people that are supposed to be a part of your life, the people that are meant to be completely and 100% apart of your life forever? Well it was that realization that had Ava turning around on her walk back to Tara and Jax's house and heading to the club house. Ava and Happy were meant to be together either now, next year, last month, whenever... they were just supposed to be with each other and no matter how hard she fought it, it was fate.

"Damn you Fate you heartless bitch." She had mumbled when she had worked up the courage to open the club house door.

Internally she was beyond jealous of the woman next to what belong to her. Internally she suddenly felt insecure; inadequate... she raked her brain to think of other words that started with I.

She approached already knowing that he would do whatever it was she asked. This bitch pressing up against his body didn't stand a chance with Ava in the room.

Now lying in the bed still fully dressed Happy pulled her into his body taking her small frame in his arms and holding her as if were the most important thing in this world to him, which of course she was. It had been an hour since he had laid down and offered himself as her pillow, an hour since she had accepted, and an hour since she had fallen asleep.

He hated to think what she honestly thought when she had seen that girl all over him silently made her a vow that he would never cause her to question her trust in him or question her own confidence in herself. She was all he needed and as long as she would have him, he would never stray.

Her muscles jolted causing him to look down in alarm at the woman who remained sleeping. With a smile he watched her eye lids flicker as dreams formed behind them. The backside of his fingers brushed gently over her sun kissed skin and for a second, just a second he considered sneaking a peak and what her shirt was hiding.

"Do it and die." She mumbled in her sleep the second his hand moved from her cheek.

"Shut up and go back to sleep." He smiled wondering how long she had been awake.

"I said sleeping not fucking." She opened her left eye a crack.

"And I said shut up and go back to sleep." He covered her eyes with his big hand.

There have only been a few times that he had heard her laugh, this was one of those times.

::

Summer returned to the room with Jimmy close to her side. Throughout their whole day at Viktor Putlova's house Jimmy remained her shadow and in a way she was his. Maybe the fact that if anything were to happen to Jimmy she would be toast kept her glued to Jimmy's side, either way they were now at the point where working together would keep them alive.

"Time to go over the rules." He made sure the door was firmly shut and wished he had a means of locking it. "One you never answer this door. Let me do it or you ignore it." After watching Viktor earlier this morning she knew that a shut door would keep no one out. "Two you never leave this room without me." He turned back to face her. "Let's keep it in mind that a big part of Russian income is from the sex trade industry and there are only a few girls belonging to Putlova that are doing it willingly." She sat on the bed and pulled her legs up to her chest, her face turn an inhuman shade of white.

"I just want to thank you once again for putting me in this situation." She slowly began to rock back and forth as a means of comfort, or maybe it was because she was past the point of losing her God damn mind.

"Well I'm trying to get you out of this alive so consider this as me saying I'm sorry." He sat in the chair next to the bed and pulled his stashed weapon from his sock.

"Really?" she looked down at the steak knife he had snagged from the dinner table and rolled her eyes.

"You won't be so cynical when this baby is saving that pretty blonde head of yours."

She turned her face away from him and rested her cheek on her boney knee cap.

"Summer I will get you out of this that is a promise."

"Really how?" she asked him but spoke the words to the wall.

"With a deal."

She looked back to Jimmy. "A deal?"

"Yeah he obviously wants something that I can give him we just have to wait until he asks. Then I'll negotiate your release."

"What if he doesn't want anything?" A chill went through Summer's soul.

"Everyone wants something Summer." Jimmy leaned back in the chair and cross his legs at his ankles. "I want to go to South America, Donny probably wants to not be dead, and you want to go home."

She scowled at his coldness towards his dead friend, were they even friends or just "work acquaintances?"

"Can I change what I want?"

"Sure." He tucked his hands behind his head.

"I don't want to die."

She turned back to look at the pale yellow painted wall while Jimmy became lost to the world of late night American TV.

::

"I'm sorry Clay there is a reason why the ties between Irish and Russian have been severed." The Irish voice on the other end of the phone told Clay.

"Galen I don't think you understand that monster has my baby."

"Aye I understand Clay and I'm very sorry for your loss." He spoke as if Summer lived in the past, not the present.

"Please Galen all they are asking for is a pipe line." A broken father sat at the head of the table holding his head in a shaky hand.

"Clay." He said his name before releasing a long sigh. "I understand your situation as a father I do, it's just as a businessman I can't allow you to be blinded by your emotions."

"Galen" there was a begging tone in his voice.

"The answer is no, Irish and Russian is a bridge we can't afford to repair. I am sorry Clay truly I am..."

Clay hung up the phone and felt the need to see if it would be able to survive a sudden meeting with the cement wall, it couldn't.

"Take it the call didn't go well?" Tig stood in the doorway of the chapel.

"No it went swimmingly." He turned his back to his man. "He said he was sorry for my loss." Lighting a cigar he dropped his head. "Like she was already dead."

"Viktor won't kill her. Not now that he knows she is your daughter." Tig walked into the room and shut the heavy wooden doors. "Do we really need Irish permission on who we sell to?" He sat at the table and lit his own smoke. "Really how do they know our blacks haven't just bumped up their orders?"

Clay shrugged.

"Even then does it really matter what we say we can do for the Russians, all that matters is getting Summer back, so hell why not promise the stars in order to get the little princess back."

"Cause then I need to deliver the stars."

"Says who?" Tig sat back in the chair, the way he lounged exposed the gun holstered under his cut.

::

She woke up from a nightmare, or was it that she woke into a nightmare.

The room was dark, at some point Jimmy had turned off the TV leaving the room bathed in black. She could hear the gentle snores of a man to her left and when her brain reminded her there was chair to her left she knew exactly where she was.

"Jimmy" she whispered pulling the blankets off of her body.

Silence.

"Jimmy" she whispered again reach from bed to chair and poked the man who was peacefully sleeping, hard, in the face.

"What?" he half snored half snorted himself awake. "What's wrong?"

"I have to pee." She crawled off the bed and stood by his chair. "Like now."

"What? Hold it." He curled back into a comfortable position on his uncomfortable chair.

In the dark she swung her fist and smiled when she felt the connection in the middle of his chest her smile grew when she heard his cry of pain.

"Come on." She told him in a low voice. "Or else."

"Or else what?" he was rubbing away the pain in his chest.

"Please just come on."

Together they walked out of the room much to his satisfaction she glued her body to the back of his. They walked in unison towards the only bath room on this floor.

Left leg

Right leg

Left leg

Right leg

Bathroom.

"What are you doing" she gasped when he stopped the door for closing and entered the tiny room.

"Think you're the only one with a full bladder?" He unzipped his pants and began to drain himself before she had a chance to turn around.

When his stream ended and the sound of a zip broke the silence she turned around. "You can leave now."

He shook his head. "No can do love." He smiled.

"Jimmy." Her face quickly returned to the normal fearful look he had seen since the moment he "persuaded" her to come with him.

"Relax" for a moment he felt maybe sorry for what he was putting her through. "I'll turn around." He made a very elaborate turn towards the door.

"And turn on the tap." She told him before she sat down.

"Stage shy?" he smiled

"Shut up." She snapped.

When the echo of their voices vanished and all that remained was the soft stream of water from the faucet, Summer and Jimmy heard the conversation that would be considered the worst case scenario.

"Deals done" Jimmy's head snapped to the side so he could look over his shoulder at Summer who was still on the toilet. Wiping and standing both bodies headed towards the tiny air duct in the ceiling.

"Hey if they want to pay 2 mill to buy em who am I to stop them." It was Viktor talking.

Jimmy and Summer slowly turned to face each other.

"He's going to sell you." They both told each other at the same time in a sharp whisper. "He's not selling me he's selling you" They continued telling each other the exact same thing at the exact same time. Worst part of this situation, they would find this conversation comical if it was happening to anyone but them.

::


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

One thing when they woke up that morning that even they would be able to agree on was that really how they were sleeping was kind of sweet.

At some point Happy had fallen asleep, Ava had moved to her own side of the bed, and they had both turned their backs to each other, however they remained connected in the space that was between them by the tips of their fingers that barely held on to the others.

Happy awoke first and didn't want to risk waking her, he was enjoying the small touches of their fingers to much to have her pull her hand free just yet. Course he was also scared that with the morning came a clear head and with a clear head came thoughts... thoughts like "last night even though nothing happened was a mistake." He inhaled deeply through his nose.

"Morning." His eyes widened when she spoke.

"Morning." He turned to face her, she turned to face him.

Reaching forward, slowly, waiting for her approval, which he got, he pushed some bed head hair away from her face.

"You laugh in your sleep." She smiled pushing her cheek into his hand.

"You snore." He traced a pattern into her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"I do not." A hard hit landed on his chest.

"You do to." He laughed rubbing at the sore spot.

They were silent for a minute both trying to think of something to say that wouldn't seem... forced.

"You gonna bail?" Apparently to him though the only way to make something not forced was to make it weird.

She rolled onto her back with a smile trying to think of an answer to his question. "Nah." She turned her head to face him. "You?"

"Nah."

They made a plan. Today they were going to make up for lost time, today they were going to do all the things that Happy wanted, all the things that Ava wanted, all the things that they both wanted.

What's the song about always getting what you want? Oh yeah you can't...

::

Before a first kiss could be given a fist on the door was breaking up "the mood."

"Hap need you at the table." A voice called from the other end of the door.

With a reluctant sigh he climbed from the bed and began dressing himself for the day as she watched.

"There is something else that I want." She trailed her eyes up his semi naked body.

"Trust me baby it wants you to." He glanced down at his lower regions.

"No not that." She rolled her eyes. "It's something you can do for me." He liked where this thought could be heading. "Something you could teach me." Oh yeah he was loving the idea of teaching her lots of things. "I want you to show me how to tattoo."

"Wait what?" he asked out loud.

"And I want to learn on you." She bit her lip looking an empty canvas on his chest.

"Come again." He pulled the t-shirt over his head.

"Don't play dumb." She crawled on her knees towards his end of the bed. "I want you to share your wisdom with me in the art of tattooing. And I want you to let me practice on you."

"Uh."

There was another bang on the door.

"Please." She looked up at him as she tugged him towards her with the hem of his shirt. "Please" she asked one more time.

"Now?" he looked down at her with a look that caused her blood to both boil and freeze at the same time.

"No" she smiled. "But soon."

"It'll be an honor. Course I'll want something in return." His hand's reached for her face but didn't stop at the smooth skin of her cheeks, they travelled from her jaw to her neck from her neck to her sides from her sides to her ass, where they both cupped another set of cheeks.

"Oh yeah and what will you be taking in return?"

"Whatever the fuck I want." He growled as his face moved close enough to hers that the tips of their noses touched. He could see the way he was affecting her, he was causing her body to heat up with just his words, and he most certainly planned to take advantage of it.

Another bang on the door.

Another sigh.

"Go." She pushed him away from her with shaky hands.

He struck her right hand so quickly she hadn't had a chance to blink. With his hand around her wrist he held it up in front of them. He put his fingers to his lips and inhaled. "No touching till I'm back." He hadn't realized he loved the affect he had on her till he saw her squirm.

::

Summer and Jimmy found themselves once again at the dining room table sitting across from each other with a man at the head of the table.

"Summer my darling did you sleep well?"

She nodded as she looked at the grapefruit half in the bowl on her plate.

"I'm sorry I didn't quite hear you." Viktor smiled.

"Yes sir." She turned to him and answered loudly.

"And you Jimmy?" Viktor looked towards the other person at the table. "Trust you had a comfortable sleep?"

"I did thank you once again for the accommodations."

Viktor gave a nod as he continued to scoop grape fruit from the peel.

"Any word on when we can continue on?" Jimmy asked Viktor. "I think we are both ready to get to our final destinations." He side nodded Summer so Viktor knew that the conversation included both him and her.

"What's the rush?" Viktor smiled. "Have you seen the turmoil in Brazil? Why are you in such a hurry to put yourself in a possible dangerous situation?"

Jimmy looked away from Viktor and to his own grapefruit half.

"Besides I'm sure Summer's family is missing her."

This caused both Jimmy and Summer to snap their heads up.

"I don't..." she started with the lie.

"Your accent is quiet unusual" Viktor smiled. "Where is that you're from my dear?"

"The south." She prayed that would be enough, it wasn't

"Where in the south?" He smiled as he raised a piece of grapefruit to his mouth.

"Louisiana."

"Cajun country." It was a statement not a question.

She nodded and smiled and prayed to sweet baby Jesus he wouldn't ask another question. Jesus didn't hear her prayers.

"Has it been a while since you've seen your family?"

She shook her head.

"Who exactly is missing you?"

She gave Jimmy the quickest of glances.

"My mama."

"And?"

"That's... that's all."

"No siblings?"

She could see Jimmy shake his head out of the corner of her eye.

"No sir."

"Only child?"

"Yes sir." She knew what he was doing, by asking the question differently he was trying to catch her in a lie. Too bad he didn't realize he was dealing with the spawn of Clay Morrow, of course Victor Putlova knew exactly who he was dealing with.

"To bad" He smiled. "I come from a big family. Strength in numbers my mama always use to say." Viktor looked at his watch. "Well Jimmy you will be happy to know that your flight will be today."

Summer and Jimmy looked at each other.

"Summer will be coming with me of course." Jimmy informed Viktor.

"Oh of course." Viktor smiled. "I'm thinking we should probably leave around 9:30 just to make sure you have enough time for your 10:00 flight."

Who was Viktor kidding, when your flight was at 10:00 the airport recommended you were there before 8.

"Shouldn't we arrive...?" Jimmy started.

"Private jet Jimmy you go from car to plane no questions asked." Viktor informed him.

There was so much lying going on in this dining room you would think they were back at Gemma's house for Sunday night dinner.

::

Clay paced the sand as he watched for the caravan of SUVs that should be approaching any minute now.

"Phil called." Juice ran over from the van carrying two Million dollars of Fed's money. "Russians are 2 minutes out." He nodded to the only road into the meeting spot. They could see the dust clouds before they could see the vehicles.

Clay gave Jax on last look of bravery before he took a step away from his bike.

The SUVs stopped a good 10 feet away.

The doors swung open and out came Viktor and his men.

"Clay." Viktor called out as he approached hand extended.

"Viktor." Clay returned the greeting.

"I have to say the events of the last few days are unexpected but exciting. This is a new chapter for us Russians. I have to be honest I'm a little anxious about getting into bed with the Irish and a bunch of bikers." When he said the word bikers he looked over Clay and he crew with a look of disgust, a look he didn't even attempt to hide.

"Yeah well it's a deal that neither of us could resist." Clay glanced passed Viktor to the SUVs knowing that his daughter was inside one of them.

Following Clay's eyes to behind him Viktor clapped his hands. "Well then let us get down to the reason why we are all out here in this God awful heat."

Clay nodded to Jax who in turn nodded to Happy. Happy and Chibs pulled the bags from the van and carried them to their president's side. Four bags were delivered, four bags were brought to the Russian side of this meeting, and four bags were opened and quickly counted.

"It's good." The counter of the contents told Viktor who at the moment was currently pretending to be on a call.

"You sure?" he asked the man who was now zipping up two million dollars worth of money.

"Da."

With a sharp nod he told his men to open the doors of both SUVs. Jimmy came out of the first one and Summer came out of the last one.

"No Viktor you can't do this." One look at the men who bought him and Jimmy was folding.

Viktor turned to Clay with a smile. "Seems you bought yourself a daughter." He glanced at the girl was being escorted over from the SUV by men who respected this business deal between the Russians and the bikers enough that they wouldn't touch her.

"I also bought a dead man." He smiled at Viktor as the men escorting Jimmy were far less gentle.

"Well I hope it's worth two million. We'll be in touch soon." Viktor extended his hand which Clay shook.

"Trust me two million is a steal." He patted Viktor on the back before he raised his boot to jaw of the man who took his daughter.

::

"Daddy" Summer cried out as she threw herself against Clay, part to feel the safety from one of the only men who would go to hell and beyond for her and part to protect Jimmy. "Protect Jimmy?" Her own brain didn't believe what she had just thought. She must be suffering from some sort of Stockholm syndrome.

Viktor watch the reunion for all of a second before himself and his men returned to their SUVs.

"Summer." He was confused as to why her hand was holding his gun in place.

"Please don't kill him please." This was not how he expected his first few minutes with Summer to be.

"Please daddy." That was the second time she referred to him by his title and not his name. "He is the reason I'm here and I owe him my life."

There was honor among outlaws when it came down to favors, life for a life sort of honor. True Jimmy had clearly protected her during her short time with Viktor Putlova; all the men present knew it could have ended a lot worse. Worse could currently be showing off her best assets at a well-known Russian hang out called the Jelly Bean or she could be working backside; if you know what I mean... Clay shuddered at the thought.

"Please daddy." Her eyes held his. "Please," She whispered.

He was lost to the lifeless shade of gray in her once blue/gray eyes. Her face had changed so much since the first time he had seen her, he tried to find the spark of life in her eyes, the glow to her skin, the smile on her full lips... it was all gone. Now there was a woman who had seen the worst the world had to offer and lived. Now was a woman, who had loved and lost, got pregnant and lost, got married and lost, had a second chance at love and lost. Summer was losing at life and it was honest to God all his fault.

"Please." She pleaded one more time.

He released the grip on his gun and looked at his son. "Get him in the van."

"Clay." Jax sighed. "What about the plan." He asked in a hush tone.

Clay ignored his son as he reached for his daughter's face. "I will never let anything happen to you ever again, do you understand?"

She nodded as tears pooled in her eyes.

"I will always keep you safe, do you understand?"

His thumb wiped away fallen tears as her head slowly moved up and down.

"I'm so sorry." She told him through another set of sobs.

He released her face so he could pull her body in for a hug. Fisting the hoodie she wore he held her close against him smothering her with his love and body; eventually she had to tap on his shoulders before his hug caused her to pass out.

::

She had latched onto her father the second he climbed on the bike, it was a death grip that said "I'm never letting go." And he was okay with that. He would like to see who was the next brave soul that attempted to come between him and his daughter. Glancing back at his men behind him he sent out a silent request telling them to go ahead and try.

The bikes pulled off the road and onto the shoulder and waited.

"What's going on?" she watched the van pull up to a black car. Her heart pounded hard against her chest when she saw the driver of the car get out. "Tara" she gasped and knew the woman was doing the exact same thing only saying Summer's name instead of her own.

In secret code she put a hand over her heart and then raised it to the other woman who did the same thing back, Jax witnessed their exchange and found himself grateful for the bond that his wife had formed with his step sister, he was relieved to know that Tara would be able to get through the next blow that would quickly come with Summer by her side.

"Come on baby girl let's get you home."

::

Ava sat at the picnic table watching Gemma pace holes in the concrete.

"What are you so nervous about?" She said between bites of her baby carrots.

"Are you serious right now?" Gemma stopped pacing long enough to give Ava a look of absolute shock. "Please for the fucking love of God tell me you're not serious."

"Alright." Ava chopped down on a carrot. "I'm not serious." Her tone was a classic cynical Ava tone.

"Remind me again why you're here." Gemma continued to pace again.

Ava smiled as she bit into her carrot mouth open and directed to Gemma.

"Your gross." The view of the contents of Ava's mouth made Gemma almost laugh. "And you need help like serious meds." Gemma glanced once more at the gates and then moved to the bench occupied by a woman/rabbit. "Well share the wealth," She nodded towards the bag in Ava's hand.

"I slept with him last night." She watched Gemma's eyes widen as the woman pulled a couple carrots from the bag.

"Who?"

"Happy." Ava bit the end off of her next carrot.

"Why?" Gemma made a face thinking of the man who gave her nightmares. "I mean..."

Ava laughed. "I didn't fuck him I just slept with him. It felt..." She bit into her carrot again. "If felt really nice." She thought for a second. "It felt like home."

"Touching." Gemma rolled her eyes and looked towards the open gate.

"Do you think he's a good guy?"

Gemma smirked. "I think he'll literally kill to protect what's his." She felt a chill across her skin as she thought of the man. Looking back at Ava she smiled. "Happy will protect and support you till the bitter end. He doesn't do anything half ass so if he's gonna fall in love with you he'll be completely in love with you."

Ava nodded her appreciation for Gemma's thoughts. "Think he's a good lay?"

Before Gemma could give her thoughts on that subject the rumble of Harley's filled the streets.

::

She went from Clay's back to Ava's front.

The leap of faith she took when she threw herself into Ava was a sight to behold, even Gemma was nervous that one or both of them were going to get hurt.

Ava caught and held on tight and did the first thing no one expected her to do, she sobbed, loudly, in public. "If you ever fucking think of leaving me again." The twosome went to a threesome when Tara pulled into the lot and ran out of her vehicle which, was still in drive. The three girls hugged in a way that a few, some, almost all, would get them through many, many lonely nights with many, many inappropriate thoughts.

"Mind if I join in?" The three heads turn to the cold voice behind them.

Agent Stahl had been so quiet with her men that no one on the lot heard them approach.

"What are you doing here?" Jax quickly stole her attention away from the threesome.

"Just checking on the little purchase you made." She smiled from Jax to Summer and eyed her from the ground up and then back down again. "Gotta say it's worth every dollar of that two mill."

Clay stepped forward blocking her view from his daughter. "What are you talking about?"

"Course she was for free the real investment is in Irish I hear." Stahl took a step back as Jax advanced.

"What are you doing?" He hissed.

"What is she talking about?" Clay asked once again.

"Jimmy O. "Stahl looked around at look at the mass of men and women now watching her ready for her to make her move so they could make theirs. "Where is he?"

Clay shrugged. "Probably on a plane fuck if we know."

"Oh, but you do know." Stahl smiled and pointed towards Summer. "That little lass was last seen with him boarding a plane from Spain to America."

"You have proof?" Clay was growing a deep shade of red.

Stahl smiled and nodded once. "Sure do daddy." Stahl turned to face her men and nodded. "Proof that your daughter and Jimmy O were last seen together is standing right in front of you."

Stahl locked her eyes on Jax and gave a smile. "You're mother's right we could never work well together, there just no trust."

"What is she talking about?" Clay blew up at Jax.

"I did it for Summer I did it for this club!" Jax defensively screamed back.

"Did what!" Now it was Bobbie's turn to get in on the action.

"Your little Prince made a deal with the feds in order to get his sister home safe. Two million dollars of fed money went to buy Jimmy O and her from the Russians. In exchange I get Jimmy, I get the Irish God Fathers, and I get Samcro off the streets. And you get your precious little princess back." Stahl winked and Summer.

"You ratted us out for her?" Bobbie threw a finger in Summer's direction. As if she could feel his hatred towards her at that very moment she gasped when his finger pointed in her direction, pure rage pouring from it.

"You turned on your brother's for pussy?" Tig screamed next and actually had to be held back by Clay's strong arm.

"I did it to protect you and my family. Summer got me my son back I owed her." An actual war was about to erupted but lucky for everyone Stahl's men not been ready to start placing cuffs on wrists.

Summer's group of three fanned out into a group of one as both Ava and Tara rushed to bid goodbye to their men.

Summer stayed in one place as the hate casted by the men she believed to be more family then friends burnt her feet to the ground, or maybe that was fear.

Ava slowly approached Happy who was in the process of being cuffed. "Now I feel kinda guilty." She smiled watching the officer slap the cuffs on his wrist. "Had I known this was going to happen I would have sucked your dick this morning." The officer blushed a few shades of red before clearing his throat.

"Hope you're talking about mine." Happy smiled in her direction. "And not his."

She gave a little shrug as she looked at the embarrassed cop.

"How long you gonna locked up for?"

"Long enough." He watched her continue to approach without a shred of interest in his officer standing guard. "You gonna wait for me baby?"

Making a fist of his shirt in her left hand she pulled him close to her. "Depends." Her mouth was on his before he could retort. This kiss was long overdue and wouldn't satisfy either of them nearly enough... but it would do for now. "You think you're worth it." She asked when the kiss ended.

"Probably not." He claimed her mouth again biting her lip when knew it was time to go. The salty copper taste of her blood filled his mouth. "Take care of yourself sunshine."

"Don't go dying on me like the last one did." She turned and walked away. "Oh" she turned back holding up her right hand. "Is your demand still on the table?"

With a growl he shook his head.

"Good." She gave a tiny wave with her right hand before turning back around just as the officer pushed him towards the vehicle.

She watched Tara hug Jax goodbye she watch Gemma try to defend her son against threats that couldn't possibly be true, she watched a man get pulled out of the trunk of Tara's vehicle, and most importantly she saw familiar boots left in a spot her best friend had previously stood in.

::

She had been standing outside the house for the last couple of minutes.

Someone had maintained the yard, she could only begin to assume who that was, Ava.

Her hand had just finished turning the key in the lock and after a deep exhale she pushed the door opened but remained in the same glued to the top step. It hit her like a wall, the smell of her husband's cologne; closing her eyes she inhaled flooding her senses with his memories.

One step followed another and eventually she was in the house.

She couldn't even begin to describe the feeling of walking into the house, the closest she could come up with was trying to walk forward well someone pushes on your shoulders in the opposite direction. Her body wanted to move but it was almost next to impossible.

She instantly remembered the first time he brought her here. Looking in beside her as she stood in the doorway she could almost see her memories of him and her together, he was holding her against the wall kissing her in all the right spots. Her stomach dropped as she followed her memories towards their bedroom.

That was where Opie found her.

::

A woman stood in the chaos of the clubhouse watching those around her; to the side she saw the doctor and the best friend trying to console the Queen. She didn't see Summer and most importantly she didn't see the man who's grandmother's ring was currently on her ring finger.

"Lyla!" Ava snapped causing the woman to wake from her day dream. "Can you please help I need to go find Summer." Again was a word that was thought but not spoken, by almost everyone inside or around the building.

Lyla was a woman trying to break her way into the "Sisterhood Circle" but found their walls nearly impossible to climb, the more she stood on the outside watching Tara, Ava, and Summer the more she wondered if she would even been welcome amongst them, no she found herself wondering if she would even want to be welcomed amongst them.

With a friendly nod she told Ava to leave as she took her place to Gemma's right. After all who is the real woman in charge here; a group of girls with a club princess or The Queen?

::

Opie could see the trembling body from underneath the sheets. Had this been his house and his bed he would assume that the side of the bed she laid on was David's, it was closest to the door there for the safest for her should anyone think to break in during the night.

He heard her inhale deeply and knew her dead husband scent was probably still strong on the material covering her head, hell he had done the exact same thing many of times after Donna's death.

"Summer," He said quietly as to not alarm her, it didn't work she still froze up.

"Go away."

"We both know that I'm not going to do that."

"Go AWAY!" She screamed her voice cracking as she sobbed.

"No!" He yelled back.

"Please Opie I don't want you to see me like this." Like a few tears would scare him away.

"Summer." He approached the bed, his foot got twisted in the hoodie that she had been wearing earlier; his other foot got caught in her jeans. His brain instantly told him that she was possibly naked. "Summer I of all people know how hard this is." He pushed away the hoodie and her t-shirt was exposed. "But coming back here so soon took real courage." Kicking away the jeans he found a pair of hot pink boy short panties. "I uh." He found himself having a hard time speaking as he stared down at her panties.

"Opie please just go." She pulled off the blankets and sat up. He blinked a few times as he looked at her dressed in the shirt that completed her husband's uniform.

"Summer I'm not."

"Why Opie? Why do you insist on doing this to yourself?" She laid back down with an ompf.

"Because I can handle it." He stepped to the end of the bed looking around at all the things in the room that made it theirs. The furniture was a deep dark wood something he couldn't imagine her ever picking out. For a master bedroom it was a little on the small side but the bed alone was the reason for the lack of space, it was massive.

"What happened today was..." He began.

"Stop." She laid an arm over her forehead. "I don't want to even think about what happened today." She stared up at the ceiling. "Actually I just don't want to think."

He smiled wondering if he should continue to stand or sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm sure that would be impossible for you to do."

She shrugged and turned onto her side to face the wall while taking the blankets with her. "Opie." She couldn't blink the tears away fast enough. Hearing the need in her voice he was instantly at her side, knelling on the ground in front of her. "I think I'm losing my fucking mind."

"Summer." Slowly he raised a hand and waiting for her approval he placed it on her cheek. His thumb didn't wait for the go ahead and mindlessly started to trace the smooth skin of her cheek.

"Can you promise me everything is going to be okay?" she asked him in a whisper as her eyes begged him for the truth.

"Yes baby of course." He whispered the words she wanted to hear while his eyes told her the truth, the truth being that it was a promise that even he didn't believe.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" She asked as a tear seeped out of her eye.

"Of course." He answered as his thumb wiped away the tear off her face.

::

There are two updates today chapter 19 and chapter 20.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Stahl had be pretty impressed with herself as her partner drove their newly appointment unmarked fed car. She leaned back in her chair and pulled the sunglasses from her hair over her icy eyes. The corner of her lip flicked up as she thought back to the look on Summer's face when the chaos exploded around her. The men she probably believed would lay it all on the line for her folded their cards in her direction. Yes it sucked that Summer had to realize that there was no loyalty for women in the club that way but it was a lesson that needed to be taught, and she was the perfect person to play teacher.

"Something funny?" the Irish man in the back asked.

"Shut up" she turned her head towards the window and returned to her thoughts, now that the case was closed and the deals were made maybe she could return to Charming as June and have a little one to one time with her darling little Summer.

"You're blushing officer." Jimmy pointed out from the back seat.

"Shut up!" She snapped over her shoulder just as the lights of the Charming police cruiser flashed on.

::

Summer rose from the bed the shirt she wore did little cover the upper parts of her thighs but no one was complaining. The moment she looked at him with those "I need you eyes" he knew this would happen and if you were to ask him it couldn't happen soon enough.

"Opie." She took a step forward reaching for his cut well keeping her eyes locked to his.

Slowly and surely she stripped away each layer of his clothing placing them gently down on the floor with care and respect for each article. Her hands went to unbuckle the belt holding his pants up, that was when he noticed how shaky her hands were.

"Summer" he reached for them, claimed them in his, and raising them to his lips.

She gasped suddenly and pulled his hands towards her face. "Is this blood?" She looked from the small amount of splatter on his hands then back to his face. "Who's?" Was all she asked.

For her simple question she got a simple answer.

"Stahl."

::

He replayed every moment of Stahl's pleas with so much detail it was almost like Summer was there watching. When he got to the fate of Jimmy he saw her flinch.

"Chibs returned the scars." Opie leaned against the wall next to the bed still shirtless as she sat on the bed cross legged with a pillow hiding her "girl parts."

"Is he?" She asked not able to finish the question.

"No." He told her hating the instant relief that formed on her face. "Clay gave the word and Chibs followed it even though he wanted to plunge his knives deep in Jimmy's chest."

"Why would Clay do that?" her heart raced in relief... she was convinced she didn't have a touch of Stockholm syndrome she had a hell of a lot of it.

"Jimmy could have done a lot worse to you but he didn't. Putlova is a sick fucker and the fact that you made it out intact falls mainly on Jimmy's hands."

He pushed himself off the wall and walked to short distance towards her.

They both felt the mood change as each step he took closer pushed the awkward tension away. This was familiar and right now she needed familiar. After the rejection of her father's club and possibly her father himself she needed a hell of a whole lotta familiar.

Standing up she laid the pillow back on the bed. "Not on the bed." She glanced down at the duvet that was purchased for the use of only her and her husband.

"We don't." His mouth said the words but his hands that reached for her face told her another story.

"I need it." She looked up at her lashes at him. "Opie." She returned to his belt with her trembling hands.

"Yeah?" He stared down at her lost in the ideas of what was about to happen.

Taking a deep breath she looked up at him. "Don't be gentle."

::

Ava was not sure what her next move would be.

Sitting on the front steps of her best friend's house she debated her next move. She could bust the cheat in the act or all it to be their dirty little secret. The only problems with secrets were they never EVER stayed where you wanted them too, buried.

Standing up and brushing her hands off on her jeans she reached for the knob just as her phone rang.

"Hello?" She answered turning her key in the lock.

"It's was all a set up." Tara told her.

Pulling her key back from the lock she took a step back. "What is a set up?"

"That whole act that Jax and the club did. No one blames Summer and technically no one ratted. Opie, Chibs and Piney made sure that whatever Jax told the feds would never see the light of day. Stahl had already given her side of the deal to Rosen so in 14 months if they can keep their shit in check the club will be back in Charming." She could hear Tara's excitement, being the voice of reason and reflection Ava wasn't quite up to Tara's excitement yet.

"What did they do?" She pushed the door open with her foot as a flood of moans both male and female escaped the house.

"Who?"

"Opie and whoever."

"I don't know." Tara was not a horrible liar she just wasn't yet at Gemma or Ava's level, but she was still leaps and bounds better than Summer. "What's that noise?" Of course Tara would be able to hear the sounds of sex through the phone, probably half the block could hear it.

"TV." Ava slowly made her way to the master bed room. "You know I gotta actually go."

"Are you okay with this?"

"With what?"

"With what I'm telling you?"

"Yeah it's cool why?" She stood outside the closed bedroom door.

"You just sound a little."

"Distracted?" It really wasn't a question but more of a fact, Ava was distracted by the possible outcome Summer and Opie's current actions.

"Off." Tara added.

"Well the facts are that someone probably lost their life today."

Tara became silent.

"And my money is on that bitch agent, which really I could care less about but we need to remember we aren't in the business of playing God. We have no right in this life to decide who lives and dies just because their life poses a threat or inconvenience to us."

Tara remained silent.

"But at the same time I was really looking forward to fucking Happy and waiting 10 years probably wasn't gonna happen. 14 months is more doable."

"That's fucked." Tara finally piped up.

"Yeah well I'm also gonna be using a lot of your batteries from now till then so stock up baby."

"Oh my God." That was the last thing Tara said before she hung up on Ava.

With a wide jaw smile Ava looked at her phone, no one had ever hung up on her before.

She looked at the door way one last time before she took a big step back and then turned to leave the house all together.

They got themselves into this mess they can get themselves out.

::

She rested her hands on his stomach as her hips thrust forward in a rhythm they had both missed.

But it was the actions that she missed. The man who laid on his back as just a filler to what she really wanted. What she really wanted was her husband underneath her, what she really wanted was to hear her husband moan out her name, what she really wanted to hear was her husband tasting her, feeling her, loving her.

But David was dead.

Her pace picked up as she felt the hint of an orgasm.

"Summer." Opie moaned his fingertips digging deep into the skin of her hips. "I'm ready."

She wasn't, in fact the minute he said her name that hint of an orgasm vanished.

"Me too baby." She lied.

His head seemed to roll back as his body stiffened beneath her as he rode out his organism.

She faked it and the worst part was he knew.

He pulled her down on top of him and held her naked body against his. Neither spoke even though if they were too they would both feel the exact same way; cheap, dirty, and used.

::

Ava magically and loudly entered the house just as Opie finished redressing.

With wide eyes Summer looked at him and then at the closed door.

They picked the moment Ava shut the bathroom door for him to make his escape.

"Summer?" Ava opened the door to the bathroom just as the front door closed.

"Hey." Summer turned away from the door she just closed and faced her best friend.

"What are you doing?" Ava wiped her wet hands on her jeans, she wanted to give the illusion that she really need to use the bathroom and that she was oblivious to the company Summer had.

Summer opened her mouth to say something but closed it once again, which was when the dam burst.

"I'm a whore." She sobbed.

Ava waited a minute and watched her friend visually break down before she went to console her.

"You're not a whore." Ava hugged her tightly. "You just have whorish tendencies." She laughed as her friend slapped a wide hand on her back. "Come on make me something to eat and tell me all about it." Ava led the twosome to the kitchen.

"I'm in break down mode and you expect me to cook for you."

"Uh yeah we both know I give the best advice when I'm full." Ava sat down at the kitchen table while Summer continued to the fridge.

"Since when?" She asked with her head in the door.

"Since ever."

Shutting the fridge door Summer faced Ava. "There is nothing in there."

"Good thing I can dial a number." Tara who taken the liberty to enter the house on her own told them from the hallway. Summer and Ava watched the woman enter the kitchen with her hands full. The baby carrier in one hand was for Summer and the pizza in the other was for Ava.

::

Summer sat cross legged on the living room floor, half a bottle of wine in her cup and a slice of pizza plated and on her lap. "Without sounding cheesy."

"Oh God." Ava rolled her eyes and reached for another slice of pizza.

"If I didn't have you guys to return to I probably would be in a lot worse shape." She glared at Ava but smiled at Tara. "Thank you for being the constants in my life."

Tara pushed herself off the couch and hugged Summer tightly. "Always." She whispered in Summer's ear.

Ava sighed when the hug ended and pulled Summer in for another embrace. "You little ham." Ava smirked when she released the hug.

They fell into comfortable silence for a second as the horror movie on the TV filled in for the conversation.

"I fucked Opie today." Summer felt the need to tell Tara.

Tara who was picking pineapple from her pizza looked quickly at Ava who shook her head quickly.

"Oh." Tara answered.

"I don't know why I did; I think I just wanted to feel something other than what I was feeling."

"What were you feeling?"

"Hurt, mad, betrayed by Clay and the others."

"Did you?" Tara started to ask Ava but was once again stopped by the shake of Ava's head; Summer hadn't noticed the start of the question or the movement of Ava as she watched the Slasher flick on the TV. One thing Summer loved no matter what her mood was, was a good horror movie, luckily for her with Halloween days away most channels had horror marathons.

"How do you feel now?"

"Dirty." Summer answered without looking away from the screen.

Tara looked back towards Ava who was helping herself to her third slice. "Tell her." she mouthed.

"Tell her what that the man she fucked is engaged or that her family used her to murder some bitch without a single thought as to how their words or actions would affect her." Ava whispered.

"Well when you put it like that." Tara leaned back against the bottom of the couch.

"Rock paper scissors me."

"What?" Tara's head snapped to the side.

"Loser tells her it all."

"Opie and the club?"

Ava nodded.

"Okay one..." They pounded their fist.

They silently pounded their fists for two.

Tara raised her hand but before she brought it down for the third count she turned to Summer. "Hey Ava has something to tell you about what happened today with the club and Opie."

::

He hadn't expect to see what he had seen, but hey stranger things have happened.

From his truck parked down the street he watched Tara and Ava leave the house walking close to each other talking quietly amongst themselves. They didn't give him a second glance as they walked past his truck towards Gemma's SUV that Tara was obviously borrowing. He had expected Ava to return to the house but when she climbed into the passenger seat as Tara loaded the baby carrier he glanced back towards the house.

"Why would they leave her?" He asked out loud.

Covering his head once again as the SUV drove by Opie waited till the tail lights were a distant view before he climbed out of the truck.

He approached the door looking over his shoulder as if somewhere someone was watching, somewhere someone was, just not the person he hoped was.

She opened the door after the second knock and slammed it shut when she saw him standing on her step.

"Summer." He banged on the door.

"Go away!" She yelled through the door.

"What's going on?"

"Go away Opie!" She told him again.

"Not until you tell me what's going on."

He could hear her mumble through the door.

"Summer!" He banged once again on the door. "Open the door now."

It was during his banging and yelling that the flash of lights, red and blue to be exact, lit up the street.

"You called the cops!" He yelled bringing a fist down on the door.

"Opie." Officer Kennedy approached. "Think it's time we head on home."

"This is a misunderstanding." He told the cop.

"No I don't really think it is." The officer approached cautiously with a hand on the butt of his gun.

"Summer." He looked back at the door just as it opened.

"Mrs. Hale." The officer nodded towards her with much respect for her only because of who she had been married to.

She looked coldly at Opie before smiling at the officer.

"Summer." Opie looked at her with confusion and hurt in his eyes.

"No need to arrest him officer just return him to his fiancée." Both men could see the signs of a serious amount of crying all over her face.

"Come on Opie you heard the lady." The cop reached for Opie's arm.

"Wait." Opie started but Summer retreated back into the safety of her husband's house.

She wasn't completely safe though until she was once again under the covers on her husband's side of the bed.

::

"You can't honestly expect him to wear that?" Ava sat at the kitchen table as Tara stuff poor baby Abel into pumpkin, not a costume pumpkin either.

"He isn't gonna go out in it I just want to take a picture of him in it."

She pulled his legs through the holes she had cut for legs and began blinding the child with flashes from her camera.

"This has to be a form of child abuse." She stood up from the table and moved to the floor next to Tara where the pumpkin, the boy, and the crazy mother sat.

"Oh please, when he looks back on these pictures he will know he has an awesome mom."

"Or mental." Ava mumbled.

"Plus come on he is in a fucking pumpkin like seriously how cute is that?" She smiled down at her son and began flashing away once again.

Abel not thinking on Ava's wave length actually enjoyed being inside the pumpkin and wearing it as though it was a giant orange diaper.

"Here help." She passed Ava the camera and moved to stand above Abel so that the she could get some shots of him looking up instead of at the pumpkin.

"I'm only helping because I plan on using him tomorrow."

"For?" Tara was jazz handing her hands to keep Abel's attention.

"Your child is my ticket to many many cavities." Ava moved the camera up from Abel to Tara, this moment needed to be captured.

"You know he is too young to go trick or treating right?"

"Says you." Ava put the camera down. "I even got him a costume."

"What?" Tara stopped moving and smiled at Ava. "What is it?"

"Get him outta the pumpkin and I'll show you."

::

Tara literally screamed, loudly, when she saw her baby boy dressed as a lobster, pinchers and all.

"Oh my God." She reached for the boy and hugged him tight to her chest.

"And look" She held up the baby Bjorn Tara had started using which was now transformed into a pot.

Tara was done, she clearly couldn't handle this much cuteness, Summer on the other hand. Ava's smile fell when she was reminded again about the missing piece in the Tara, Ava, Summer threesome.

"You know when I was picking up the pumpkins this morning I saw Wayne." Tara spoke causing Ava to blink herself out of the daydream. "He told me he had to send Officer Kennedy to Summer's house last night. Seems there was some sort of domestic dispute."

Ava reached for the lobster in Tara's arms.

"She called the cops on Opie last night." Tara handed the baby over and smiled as Ava slide the baby into the pot. "Did you know Opie was there when we left?"

"Of course I did." She was so nonchalant with her answer.

"How?"

"I saw him." She posed her body and nodded to the camera. "Come on take a pic of T-Abel and his Tantsy Ava."

Following instructions Tara clicked away. "Are we gonna let her go through this alone?"

"For now." She reached for the camera so she could decide which picture stayed and which got trashed. "Don't give me that look." She told Tara as she flipped through the pictures, she could practically hear the look of disappointment on Tara's face, they were now past the point where they knew each other well enough that without looking they could sense the other person's mood. "Believe it or not we are projecting our feelings onto her."

Tara opened her mouth to say disagree but Ava continued.

"I said we as in both of us, I am just as guilty as you are. She hasn't really had a chance to deal with really anything that had happened to her within the last few weeks on her own. She is at the point where she knows she needs to face what happened and when she asked us to leave last night we had no choice but to respect her wishes. We would be bad friends if we stayed."

Tara opened her mouth again but Ava once again continued.

"Summer has always had someone to handle her problems for her, it started with her mama, then me, now Clay, you, Jax, David, that Irish dude in the trunk. Someone has always been there to hold her hand so that when she's has to fight her way out of a zombie apocalypse she won't need to because someone will do it for her."

"Zombies?" Tara rolled her eyes.

"That's your fault you and your shitty horror movies are blame for my horror inspired analogies." She looked down at Abel who was gently snoring against her chest. "All I'm saying is we would be doing Summer a disservice if we step in and help. She will come to us if she needs us or when she is ready."

Tara tapped her left foot on the tile of the kitchen floor.

"Well till then..." She eyed Ava and the baby. "How much candy do you think we can get with the lobster?"

::

Summer had remained in the same spot since 11:01 last night. She raised the blanket off of her head and looked towards the clock on the night stand, 11:01. Cutting her eyes at the clock she sighed.

"Either time has stopped or I've been here for exactly 12 hours." She threw the blanket off of her and made a bee line to the bathroom, according to her bladder it had been 12 hours.

She sat on the toilet long after she had finished her business, her arms hugged warmth back into her chest through the khaki shirt that belonged to her husband. "Engaged?" She said the word out loud with such hate that her own eyes widened. "How the fuck could he, be engaged?" So apparently she was at the point now where she was conversing with herself. "Why wouldn't he tell me?" She stood up. "Probably because he wanted to get some and knew I wouldn't if I knew he was engaged." She looked at herself in the mirror as she talked. Somehow looking at someone, even if it was her, seemed to make it all less crazy.

Her stomach dropped when she felt the phantom touch of Opie's fingers inside of her.

Lunging for the toilet she brought up the previous meal of pizza and wine. When nothing else could come up she sat back on her heels and wiped her mouth clean with the back of her hand.

"So just to recap..." she pushed her hair off of her sweaty forehead. "Your husband is dead, you slept with another woman's fiancé, and your family hates you because your brother sold them out for you, you gave a bit of your heart away to someone you will probably never see again, OH and you need to see a doctor about the possibility of Stockholm syndrome." Summer nodded to herself. "Yup that about sums it up." She moved from her heels to her bum and scooted over till her back rested against the tub. "Oh and you're a whore." She added. "And unstable." She continued. "And you're talking to yourself." She finished.

Looking down at the wedding band on her ring finger she mindless twisted it round and round her finger. She smiled thinking back to the moment her husband slid it onto her finger. He had been so nervous his hands were shaking; she remembered thinking how adorable it was.

"I get that your dead." She told the emptiness around her. "I get that there is nothing that will ever bring you back. I get that I will have to spend the rest of my life with a void left in the part of my heart that was reserved for you." She looked up and let her imagination go wild. She could picture herself in the same shirt she was currently wearing sitting on the counter her legs open wide to accommodate her husband who stood between them. Summer smiled at the memory, his face had remained as true in her memory as it had been when he was living, sure there would be a day when she would forget tiniest of details, but today wasn't that day.

She closed her eyes and remembered the way he watched her as she shaved his face, he trusted her from day one with the task and she enjoyed been the one responsible in grooming him. Even when they had that minor falling out he hadn't shaved once as if the act was something that was hers to do, only.

"I love you." She could hear him whisper the words to her, something he always made sure to do countless times throughout the day, but the whisper which was what she heard right now was something he did only at night when they were in bed, when he figured she was sleeping, she never was though. He would just assume that her movement was due to him disturbing her in her sleep, but really she pushed herself against his body to show him the feeling he felt for her were the exact same feelings she felt for him. They would always fall asleep minutes later and then the next night they would go through the same routine, whispered words of love to tight embrace.

"I love you," She heard the words again in her husband soft whisper and felt for a moment a calmness that only he was capable of giving.

::

Clay returned to the general pop common area and headed straight to his men who were currently passing time with a game of chess or cards.

"What's the word pres?" Tig asked as Clay approached.

"Just saw the news." Clay smiled. "Seems IRA has come to America. Federal Agent June Stahl didn't survive the Irish attack."

Jax laughed as he placed his cards on the table. "Full house bitch." He turned away from Juice and faced his father. "And Summer?"

He shook his head and sat down next to Bobbie. "Gem has gone by a few times since and Summer hasn't answered the door. Oh and get this, she called the cops on Opie a couple of nights ago."

"Serious?" Bobbie dealt the president in.

"Apparently she has shut even Ava and Tara out." Clay glanced at his cards and folded.

"So she's that pissed?" Bobbie looked down at his own cards and folded.

"She'll come around eventually I'm sure." Tig winked at Juice after looking at his hand.

"How's Tara?" Jax asked.

"Good. Gemma mentioned that Ava and Tara are taking Abel trick or treating tonight."

"How is that possible he's like a baby?" Jax laughed.

Clay shrugged looking at his new hand of cards. He sighed as his thoughts drifted towards his daughter. He hated the look on her face the second chaos erupted in the parking lot, but it had to be believable and at that point the only thing Stahl would believe is that the club was turning on each other because of her. In a sad way they needed to remind Summer of her place in the club, or what others like Stahl felt men like Samcro would believe her place should be in the club, which was nowhere, to people like Stahl or those who really didn't take the time to learn about the club they just assumed women were nothing to the biker brothers, and yes sure sometimes the majority of women who walked through the doors were just nameless pussies without faces or feelings, but then there were the women that were more than that, they were the women that the club made family. Most of the time it was those family members who just happened to be women that kept this club running, like now for example with the majority of the brothers locked up Gemma would take on the roles that Clay wasn't able to conduct right now, she would be provider for the household, proprietor of their garage, support system for tired brothers who were picking up the slack their jailbird brother's left behind. Sometimes being a woman in this club was harder than being the one wearing the actual patch.

The plan had worked so well that for a minute the idea that his son would sell out his club for a woman seemed real, it wasn't but that didn't stop his brain from actually believing it, for a heartbeat he believed it but then as quick as the belief came it passed. But Summer she had bought the whole scene and left before he had a chance to say goodbye or apologies. That was the worst part knowing that for the next little while until she finally was told the truth she would be left believing that it was all true; her family hated her, her family wanted nothing to do with her, it was her fault it all happened.

"You gonna play your hand?" Jax snapped him out of his day dream.

Blinking a few times he dropped the two pairs, Aces high on the table.

He hoped she was nothing like her mother who ran when the going got hard, but in the same thought he reminded himself that she had run from the parking lot pretty quickly when shit hit the proverbial fan.

::

There are two updates chapter 19 and chapter 20


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Halloween

The shades were drawn, the lights were off, and the door was shut. But still they kept coming.

Sitting in her living room hugging her legs to her chest she lost herself to the horror movie on TV, it was one she hadn't had the pleasure of watching before and on a night like tonight it seemed extra scary. She held her breath as the hero of the movie talked himself up in order to enter the basement through the locked cellar door. The man broke the lock and opened the door and...

"Trick or treat!" she screamed as the voice of small children brought her back to the here and now.

Getting up and heading to the door she brought the one of the only decoration her husband owned. Looking into the bowl she realized this would be the last group of kids she could offer candy too well depending on the amount of candy she gave those at her door right now.

She opened the door.

Summer should have smiled when she saw the beautiful ballerina and the scary mummy from two doors down but found that the joy of this fantastic evening seemed to have lost its magic on her this year.

"Hi Mrs. Hale." The ballerina smiled before doing a fancy twirl.

"Wow, look how nice you both looked." She looked past the pair to the parents waiting on the side walk.

She placed 1 piece of candy in both bags and waited for the kids to leave, however they remained. The mummy looked into the bag after to see what he had gotten then back up at Summer with a look of disappointment. "I'm sorry you're so sad Mrs. Hale." The mummy told her.

"What?" she stared at him in shock.

But instead of repeating himself he turned and ran to his parents with the ballerina in tow.

"Fuck this." She vowed the next kid to come to her door gets shit all.

Returning to the couch and her bottle of wine, no glass needed here, she refocused on the TV. But it seems no one thought to tell the kids of the neighborhood that she was officially closed for business.

::

The candy was gone by the time the 10th kid came and left empty handed. She knew that the next group to come would probably leave their mark on her house in the form of eggs or toilet paper; it was her laziness to clean that mess that made her get up. Much to the disappointment of her neighbors she offered the group of kids the only thing she had available at this point, her half drunken bottle of wine in exchange for candy. This of course was quickly confiscated by unimpressed parents, not exactly the best example or impression to set, but really come on she was in the midst of a mental break down.

She was about to close the door when the next group approached.

"Trick or Treat" that was no child; it was an adult, a female adult.

She turned to look down the driveway at the chef carrying a lobster in a metal pot, Wonder Woman and Batman.

She couldn't not smile.

"Wow." She looked Ava up and down as she stood in her Wonder Woman pose. The costume was very accurate and very revealing.

Kenny held his bag open and waited for her to drop something in it.

"Sorry boo fresh out." She smiled down at the boy and patted him on the top of his masked head.

"No Summer that's your costume." He held the bag up so she could see.

Looking in the bag she frowned then looked back at the group.

"Borrowed it from Ellie. Figured the emo clothing could match your attitude." Ava smiled as she placed Kenny in front of her; Batman became a human shield.

::

Ten minutes to the dot the group of now 5 continued on their way, only 4 however were dressed for the occasion.

"Tantsy Ava?" From the back of the group Summer's head snapped up. "Think we can go to the rich side of town now?" Kenny looked up at Ava with nothing but awe and respect. She looked down at him knowing he was her ticket to full size chocolate bars.

"You doing okay?" Tara asked watching the way Summer tried to fight jealous from her face.

"Fine." Summer eventually smiled at Tara, at first the smile was a little too forced and a little too fake but one look at the lobster in Tara's pot and her smile was 100% genuine. Tara's arm looped through Summer's and both of their walking paces slowed down.

"Let's let the Super Hero's do their own thing for a while." Tara smiled as she watched Ava show off her skills with the lasso of truth. "Really though are you okay?" A few kids ran by them laughing excited by whatever the last house put in their bags. Apparently the excitement of the kids was enough for Kenny and Ava; they hit up the house without a second thought. Standing on the sidewalk that led to the front door Tara and Summer waited for their "children" to return.

"I'm just..." Summer shook her head and looked away seeing nothing but candy filled joy all around her. The smiling faces, the laughs, the excitement, it should have made her happy, it should have made her feel something, instead she felt numb. "I'm just done Tara." She looked back at the woman looped arm with in arm to her. "I wish I could tell you how I feel but the best way I can say it is that," she sighed and looked away. "I don't feel anything right now."

Tara watched Kenny and Ava return only to tell them that they were going to the next house, with a nod Tara granted the boy and the woman permission.

"Summer I will not insult you by giving you advice nor will I pretend to know what you're going through. I will remind you though that through this all you have me and you have the woman child over there." She nodded towards Ava who was currently pushing Kenny out of the line of candy to bag.

"Obviously I know that and I appreciate everything Tara I really do it's just." Summer also watched as Kenny fell to the ground dropping his bag of candy as Ava pounced claiming dibs on all the pieces that hit the ground with the boy. "Don't take this the wrong way I love you both dearly it's just that I miss my husband." Her heart thumped hard against her chest for a second and then passed. She was beyond tears, she knew that no amount of tears would bring him back so her body would no longer cry over the loss of David, she'd still feel it, she just wouldn't cry over it.

"Why don't you come spend some time at the house with me? The three of us could have a month long sleep over if that is what you need."

Summer shook her head continuing to watch the woman who now laughed at the boy lying on the ground, his costume to big and too heavy for him to get up off his back; he laid on the ground legs and arms swaying wide like a turtle on his shell.

"You're like the meanest auntie!" Summer and Tara heard Kenny yell at Ava.

"Hey I'm a realist and I am showing you that sometimes life knocks you on your back." Ava told him as she shoved his sweets into her bag.

"Then steals my candy!" Kenny continued shouting.

Summer turned away from the fighting "family" members and watched the kids around her. "Where's Ellie?" She finally realized the lack of a sullen pre-teen.

"Oh Ellie has found a new group of friends." Tara shook her head.

"What does that mean?"

"Well." Tara watched Ava help Kenny back to standing. "She has found a new appreciation for black."

"She's thinks she's a vampire." Kenny added, Tara and Summer spun around unaware that Kenny could and was listening.

"She's goth?" Summer asked.

Three heads nodded.

"How it's been like a week?"

"Two but apparently that's all it takes to join the living dead." Ava stuck a stolen sucker in her mouth.

"What does Opie and Lyla think of this?"

"What can they think; she isn't hurting herself or anyone else." Tara moved out of the way of a Ninja Turtle and a sheet ghost with a few too many eye holes.

"The little ring leader of their group is an annoying little bitch that's for sure."

"AVA!" Summer gasped when she looked from the potty mouth friend to the child. Kenny just laughed as he snagged a mars bar from Ava's bag without her noticing.

"What?" Ava innocently asked.

Tara disguised her laugh as a kiss to Abel's cheek; amazingly the baby was still awake, taking in the sites of children in masks.

Ava and Kenny must have gotten bored with the conversation because their ADD kicked in hard and both of them were off to the next house leaving Tara and Summer to continue to trail behind.

"Why isn't Opie taking Kenny out?"

Tara shrugged and held onto the pinchers of the lobster in her pot. "Kenny told him he wanted to come out with us instead."

"When did Kenny and Ava get so close?"

Once again Tara shrugged. "Before you went to Ireland I guess."

A feeling she hadn't felt for a while ran though her body for a second, jealous and replacement.

"Piper didn't want to come?" She wondered where Kenny's future step brother was.

"Opie and Lyla took him out."

"What?" Summer stopped walking. "Opie took Piper instead of Kenny."

"Kenny didn't want to go with them. Lyla told me that Kenny has become real distant with Opie, he talks about David a lot and whenever there is a chance to hang out with either Ava or me he takes it."

"Why?" Summer watched Ava and Kenny super hero jump a hedge plant in order to get to the next house.

"Because we are the next best thing to David." Tara frowned. "We are the next best thing to you."

Summer grabbed Tara's hand. "What are you saying?"

"Before David died Kenny told Piper who then told Lyla that he was going to go live with his mom and step dad."

Summer's eyes widened. Quickly the feeling of jealous and replacement vanished left behind was love and uncertainty. This boy wasn't replacing Summer with Ava and Tara, he was extending his immediate family. He gave himself aunties.

::

They took a break from the trick or treating when they reached Gemma's house. The issues in Ireland were mostly left in Ireland but still the hint of tension that could still be felt in the air.

"Well I have to say I feel safer now that you're here Batman." Gemma placed a good handful of full size chocolate bars in to Kenny's bag. She looked down at Ava's suddenly opened bag and tilted her head. "Aren't you a little old for this?"

Ava didn't dignify a response and continued to hold the bag open.

"Have you guys gone to many houses?" Gemma moved out of the way so the group could come in.

"That's actually why we are here." Tara took the baby Bjorn off and stretched out her back. "Do you have 2 pillow cases we could borrow?"

Gemma casted a glance towards Kenny and Ava both sitting on the floor of the living room both bodies deep into their full Halloween bags.

"I'll see what I can find you." She shook her head as she left the living room for a minute.

"Anything good?" Summer squatted down next to Kenny and put a hand on his caped shoulder.

"What do you like?" He looked up at her with so much love it made her heart almost burst.

"Licorice is fine." She nodded to what seemed to be the pile heading towards the trash or the bottom of the bag.

"Haven't you guys gone through the whole town yet?"

"Nope." Ava looked up from between bites of two chocolate bars. "We still have the rich area."

"The rich area?" Gemma laid the empty pillow cases over the arms of the couch. "Seriously Ava how old are you?"

"Hey when you have the body of a 12 year old." Ava started which caused the three women in the room to look at her far from 12 year old body. There was a reason why her bag was so full and it had more to do with the men that were on candy duty.

Gemma rolled her eyes and looked towards the sleeping lobster. "Why don't you leave him here?" She smiled dying for the chance to have her grandson in the house.

"Oh he's kinda part of the costume." Tara looked down at her chef's pants and white shirt.

"Go grab something of mine." Gemma offered. "You could go as a bitch for Halloween."

"Seriously guys." Summer's head snapped up at the drop of the 'b' word again. "There is a child in the house."

"It's alright Summer I've heard worse." He was still in the process of sorting the winning candy from the loser candy.

"Kenny you shouldn't be hearing it at your age."

"Oh please moral compass." Gemma was heading to the kitchen. "You guys want some water before you head out? Flush some of the junk you're eating outta your system."

"Okay Granma." Kenny jumped up but instantly closed his mouth when the house fell into silence.

"Did you just?" Gemma walked back into the living room.

"I said." He looked at Summer. "I said Gemma."

Gemma side glance Summer who side glanced Ava who side glanced Tara who side glanced Summer who side glanced Gemma.

"Course you did baby." Gemma smiled and motioned for him to come with her to the kitchen while Tara went toward Gemma's room to find her second costume for the night.

"He said Granma right?" Ava pulled a candy necklace over her hair and placed it on her neck. "Cause I heard Granma."

"He sure did Tantsy Ava." Summer whispered as stood up and tip toed to the door where she peeked around the corner into the kitchen. "What do I do?" Summer continued to whisper.

"Oh Tara told you?"

Summer nodded as she watched Gemma and Kenny talk in quiet voices as she poured the boy a big glass of ice water.

"Nothing." Ava was accessorizing it seemed with a matching candy bracelet and ring, no 2 rings; one was stolen from Kenny's bag. "He obviously needs this right now. What you need to figure out is why?" She held her hands in front of her admiring the candy rings on both ring fingers. "Really what's the worst that could happen?"

Summer scurried back to the couch as the two made their way back from the kitchen.

"Here" Kenny handed Summer a glass of water, the only glass in his hand that he brought back from the kitchen.

"Thanks boo." She smiled at the boy and then at the very thirsty and forgotten Ava.

"Where's mine you little shit." Ava winked at the boy.

"Maybe if you would stop stealing from me." Kenny pointed at her right hand.

Tara returned to the living room just as Kenny prepared to go all Batman on Ava.

"Ready?" Tara asked as she entered the room. The reaction to her outfit said more than enough. Summer sucked in her water instead of drinking causing her to choke momentarily, Ava at least had enough sense to cover Kenny's ears this time as she said something that caused even Gemma to blush. And then that left Gemma's reaction, she gave the girl one look and was jealous she couldn't fill out the leather pants as well as Tara could. Gemma's jealous face was probably the best reaction Tara got that night.

"You wanna come back for a sleep over too baby?" Gemma asked Kenny at the door as she placed another hand full of chocolate in his bag.

"No thanks I'm spending the night with these crazy ladies." He tilted his head in Summer's direction.

"Oh well you keep an eye on them." Gemma told him purposely ignoring Ava's once again open bag. "Be good you guys." Gemma told them as she stepped inside.

"Seriously?" Ava kept her bag open and waiting till Gemma slammed the door shut.

::

The first house in the rich area they had unanimously decided to skip which led them to the next house, so technically by default Elliot Oswald's house was the first house in Charming Hills, not the Hale's.

"Well what have we here?" The friendly man handing out candy dressed in a Mariners jersey smiled at the group walking up his driveway. "With Batman and Wonder Woman in my town I can sleep safe tonight." He met the group in the driveway and dropped candy in the bag of those in costume; he even offered a bar to the "biker bitch". For the grieving widow he offered a hug and a skor bar. "How are you doing?" He held onto her arms tightly keeping her at an arm's length only so he could look at her face and appearance. He was trying to read her for a sign that would cause concern, after all she had been through he expected to see a few cracks in her façade.

"Daddy?" Tristan walked out of the house before Summer could answer.

Elliot and Summer turned to see Tristan the only 13 year old not dressed in a costume tonight.

"Hey honey you remember Summer right?" that was Elliot's way of reintroducing it seemed.

"Yes how are you?" Tristan maybe 13 but she spoke more adult then... hmmm... Ava, who was currently tapping her foot impatiently on the sidewalk.

"I'm good how are you doing little lady." Summer glanced over her shoulder at a couple sighs heading in her direction.

"You should probably." Elliot started.

"They can wait, some of them need to learn patience." She glared at Ava. "You done trick or treating?" She asked Tristan who looked confused about the question.

"Trick or treating?" Tristan asked. "At my age?"

The drawn on sighs continued.

"Too old to trick or treat?" Summer smiled getting no reaction from Tristan.

"She stopped last year." Elliot answered for his daughter.

"Too bad you're missing out on all the fun." Summer rolled her eyes and nodded her head a few times towards Kenny and Ava. "I can save you some candy if you want sha."

Tristan for a second smiled but her smile quickly vanished, not quick enough that Summer didn't notice.

"Or you could just come with us?" she winked at the girl telling her that she had been caught.

Elliot looked from the group then back to his daughter. "Oh Tristan I think that's a great idea you would have so much fun."

"I uh I" she started to stutter. "I don't have a costume." She regained composure of that of an adult.

"Sure you do darling your mom put it in the front closet for you. Go change I'm sure they wouldn't mind waiting."

"You know what I'll help you get ready; we can catch up with them if they want to continue."

"We can wait." Kenny instantly piped a hint of blush visible under his bat mask.

"What?" Ava gasped outrage over the sudden change of plans. "Where are your priorities?" She knocked Kenny to the ground with her bag of candy.

"Tansty Ava your being a real bitch." Luckily the Oswalds and Summer were far enough away that they could barely hear what was said.

::

Summer looked around the room of the 13 year old; nothing was left of her childhood. The room was more maturely decorated than Summer would do for herself and wondered what had happened to this girl's childhood that had made her want to forget it, what had pushed this girl into adulthood?

Tristan walked out of her on suite bathroom and frowned, she was wearing the costume but the joy of being a ballerina wasn't there.

"You look." Summer wanted to say beautiful but the lack of joy on the child's face would mean Summer would need to lie. "Not feeling it?"

Tristan shook her head.

"Well little lady there are a million things here that we can use to make you a costume." Again for the split second Summer saw the hint of excitement only a child could get, it was gone before Summer could address it. "Yeah of course let's see what we got."

She walked to the walk in closet that was the size of her and David's bedroom.

She inhaled quickly when inspiration hit.

::

"IT'S BEEN AN HOUR!" Ava was pacing back and forth along the front walk of the Oswald mansion. The traitors as she called them had been inside filling up on cedar and popcorn balls.

"Serious Ava this is the best cedar ever." Tara handed over her cup which Ava refused. "You know I should probably pee before..."

Tristan walked outside and stopped Tara's train of thought.

In 1 hour Summer had turned Tristan into a walking day of the dead doll. Her face covered in deep reds, blacks, and ghostly whites, her body covered in frilly black dress and her hair pinned back in big curls and dark red roses, courtesy of Tristan's mom.

"Wow you look really pretty." Kenny kicked away some invisible dirt at his feet.

"Thanks." Tristan blushed through the white paint and also kicked at that dirt that no one else was able to see.

"Can we go now?" Ava asked but didn't wait long enough for the answer. In fact she found herself alone as Tristan and Kenny ran off to the neighbor's house, without her. "Whoa what just happened?"

"I believe you have been replaced by a younger woman." Tara smiled as she sipped her cedar.

"Didn't you have to pee or something?"

"Shit your right" Tara remembered and headed into the Oswald Compound.

"Thanks." Elliot held onto Summer's hand as they headed down the driveway.

Summer just shook her head shaking off the gratitude. "I believe the plans are to head to my house after this is done for some candy, some dinner, and some horror movies. Tristan is more than welcome to come. Would you mind if I invited her?"

Elliot looked almost relieved. "If she'll go by all means you have my blessings."

Tara returned quickly. "False alarm." She informed them as she passed by. In the distance they could hear Ava demanding to know the meaning behind the "shaft" so to say.

"I should probably." She stuck out her thumb in the direction of the screaming. "I'll give you a call if we head back to my house."

He nodded. "Thank you Summer you have no idea how good this is for her."

She quickly left to break up the fight between a 25 year old and two children.

::

Ava was asleep by the time the pizza came, in David's chair she slept holding on tightly to two full pillow cases.

The rest of the party sat in front of the coffee table two open pizza boxes and classic horror movie marathon on the TV.

Kenny had stayed glued to Tristan's side the moment she walked out of her house and it hadn't changed since. They had developed their own secret was of communicating it seemed in such a short time, mostly with giggles and laughs but still it was communicating none the less.

"You look hot by the way." Summer was sitting in between Tara's leather legs as Tara sat on the couch, her body beyond sore from all of tonight's exercise.

"I feel like the insides of a sausage." Tara frowned, her whole body leaning forward for a slice of ham/pineapple.

"Well you look like a hot sausage filling then." Summer smiled assisting her pregnant friend by bringing the pizza box within reaching distance.

"Thanks."

Summer shrugged. "Maybe I should be thanking you guys." She glanced from Tara to the kids then the snoring Ava hugging her hordes of candy for dear life.

A knock on the front door had the two awake adults' heads turn in the direction of the door.

"You expecting someone?" Tara asked.

The children hadn't noticed the tension that the "unknown" had caused.

"No." Summer stood up and cautiously made her way to the door. She looked back at Tara before flipping on the hallway light.

She reached for the handle just as the banging that was on the front door a few minutes ago happened again, only to the back door.

::

Tara instantly stood up the moment the knocking went from front to back. "It's probably nothing." She tried to sound brave but her face hadn't quiet believed what her words were saying.

"Your right." Summer nodded standing in the middle of the hallway turning her head to look at both the front and back door. "It's probably just some neighborhood kids." She gave a half smile.

Banging continued on the back door just as the front door bell rung.

Ava woke up with a grunting snore and now the kids felt the heavy layer of fear that was being created in the house.

"Is that the door?" Ava asked wiping drool away from her face.

"Just some late night trick or treaters." Summer lied smiling at Tristan and Kenny who instantly went back to their pizza and pop. "I'm just going to actually make a call I remember I forgot to do earlier I'll be right back." She casted Tara a worried glance before she headed towards the kitchen, where she had left the cordless phone when she had ordered them pizza.

She walked through the dark each step felt as though her foot weighed a thousand pounds, each step sounded like her foot was wearing cymbals instead of bare feet, each step felt like it was getting further from the counter instead of closer.

She made it to the counter feeling a little wet around the arm pit area and reach out to where she left the phone, it wasn't there. Her hands felt over the empty counter as her brain had a hard time trying to understand what was going on. As she searched the nothingness she suddenly felt the sensation of someone watching her. Her head slowly rose to the only window in the kitchen, she held her breath and covered her mouth just in case the scream that was working its way up her throat managed or needed to escape her mouth, nothing was there.

She quickly left the kitchen and fell into the couch next to Tara. "Can I use your cell?" she whispered.

"Sure." Tara's eyes told Summer the way she was feeling at this moment, scared.

Summer took Tara's cell and dialed a number with shaky fingers.

Summer chest seemed to deflate when Tara heard a male voice answer.

"Hey." Summer stood up and walked to the hall for some privacy.

"Two nights in the same week. I'm either really lucky or your using me." He laughed, she didn't. "What's wrong?" the humor left from his voice.

"Someone's in my house. I've got kids here and I don't know what to do."

"Get out of the house I'll be right there." She could hear the officer movement.

"I can't. They are outside too."

She heard the officer give little details about the call and knew he was at the station.

"I'm a couple minutes away do you think..."

The power went out.

Tristan screamed.

::

"What is going on?" Ava stood up just as the banging moved from doors to windows.

"Nothing." Tara was currently holding onto Tristan who was shaking with fear. Kenny became instantly brave, apparently wearing a Batman costume him the confidence he needed because he took over what Tara was doing so the "adults could talk."

Summer returned to the living room cell phone still pressed to her ear. "Officer Kennedy and Wayne are on their way."

"Someone better tell me what's." Ava's eyes widened when the giggle of a little child was faintly heard. "What the fuck was that?" She hissed looked at the adults in the room.

"Officer Kennedy and Wayne are on their way." Summer quickly informed her.

"I didn't ask who was on their way; I asked what the fuck that was." Ava looked past Summer towards the empty dark hallway. "Summer." Ava's serious features softened. "What is going on?"

Summer glanced down at the children before looking back up at Ava. "I don't know." The house became silent once again except for the occasional sob from Tristan or the heavy breathing from Tara.

Ava taking control of a scary situation headed in the direction of the giggles that seemed to have started again, Summer followed closely behind with Tara and the kids trailing her. The giggles brought them to the only room with a shut door, the spare room, the nursery.

Ava twisted the knob till she heard it click open but couldn't bring herself to open it. "Alright you little shit I have a dog." She elbowed Summer's ribs motioning for her to bark.

"What?" Summer hissed.

"Be a dog" Ava hissed back. "I have a really big scary dog that loves the taste of little children." Ava yelled willing Summer with her eyes and a ready fist to bark.

"Woof." Summer said very unenthusiastically.

"Really you fucking woof?" Ava looked back.

"Shouldn't we get some sort of weapon or at least make sure the kicks are safe?" Tara asked from the back of the line.

"They are safer if we are all together." Ava shot back with a look that said "duh." Taking a deep breath Ava counted to 3 before she kicked the door fully open.

Tara screamed Ava's eyes widened and Summer was left confused.

"You guys it's just the baby's room." Summer stepped in, Ava reached for her arm the second she entered the room and pulled her back. "What?" Summer asked as Ava threw her from the room and slammed the door shut. "What?" she repeated looking at both Tara and Ava.

"I... I... I..." Ava stuttered. "I took it all apart last week."

The three women's heads all snapped towards the nursery door when innocent giggles flood out from underneath it.

::

Happy Halloween.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

**Halloween**

"Did you do this?" Ava asked instantly suspicious.

"What no?" Summer snapped a hint of offense in her voice. "I haven't even been in there yet."

Tristan pushed herself closer to Kenny and Tara.

"Why did you take it all down?" Summer walked back towards the door that would have been her daughter's room.

"I didn't want you to have to do it. I know how hard it would have been on you." Ava remained glued to one spot.

The giggles started again.

"Fuck this we are leaving." Ava finally announced and grabbed Summer's hand with a good hard yank and lead the way to the front door.

"But they are out…" Tara started just as the front door bell rung repeatedly causing the party of 5 to stop.

"Officer Kennedy and Wayne should be here any minute." Summer knelt down to the children's height in order to reassure them.

"I want to call my daddy." Tristan sobbed well Kenny gave her a sympathetic look well holding her hand tightly.

"Alright sha" Summer plastered a fake smile on her face before standing back up. "We have to get the fuck out of here." She whispered to Ava and Tara.

The sound of a vehicle pulling into the driveway was a like throwing a warm blanket on a freezing body. The party of 5 ran towards the front door just as the sound of the car doors (two to be exact) closed. Grabbing the first weapon available Ava led the party as she opened the door using the TV remote as a club, she swatted into nothingness before sticking her head out, once deciding it was clear they all piled outside.

"So this is where the party is." Officer Mark Kennedy smiled a playboy smile flashing a set of blinding white teeth, his smile reached up to his eyes when he looked at Summer causing both Ava and Tara to cringe.

"There's someone in the house." Summer said looking around making sure they were truly alone.

That was when she saw him.

She gasped out a shaky breath that should have been a scream, the scream got stuck in her throat somewhere along the way hence leaving her gasping for air and pointing. She grabbed onto Tristan and Kenny and threw hands over their eyes and pulled their little bodies back into hers.

"Watch out!" Ava screamed as the figure in black approached, knife at the ready.

Office Kennedy didn't stand a chance.

Wayne either.

Tara, Summer, Ava all screamed as gallons upon gallons of blood pumped out of the throats of their should have been heroes.

Ava turned quickly just as the figure in black turned towards the screaming women. "Back in the house! Back in the house!" she cried pushing hard on both Tara and Summer.

Using her whole body Ava slammed herself against the front door locking it shut just as the figure reached the last step. For a second her eyes locked onto the eyes of the hooded monster, for a second her deep brown eyes stared into the cold pits of yellowish/green.

"Ava" Summer hissed out in a whisper. The woman was still acting as the human barricade preventing neither anyone in nor anyone out even though at this point the monster had long vanished.

"What the fuck was that!" Tara was now losing it, fast.

"Cell phones now!" Ava turned to the group once again taking control.

Tara tapped her pockets finding nothing; Summer did the same, finding also nothing.

"I gave my phone to Summer." Tara blurted.

"And I gave it back." She reminded Tara.

"I.. I…" Tara started remembering putting it on the side table, she quickly looked down, and it of course was gone.

"K the power is out, we have no phones, no way of calling for help, there is something inside, and someone outside." Ava replayed the situation well pacing, out loud, causing another sob to come from Tristan.

"We need to split up." Ava stopped pacing and looked at the group.

Tara shook her head violently. "Why… why… why… do we need to split up?"

"Because we have no phone, no power, no idea what is going on. We need to get to the cop car." She looked out the window at the vehicle in the drive way still with the driver side door open. To get to the car we need a distraction."

From the hallway the three adults came up with a plan.

::

Summer hoisted Ava up first, she pulled herself through the window above the washer and dryer that lead to the outside, they figured they would give whoever was outside the slip by going through the lest expected way, they also prayed that no one had noticed the tiny window when they were casing the joint.

"Do you see anything?" Summer asked when Ava slid her legs through the window and stood up.

"No." Ava whispered back. "Come on give me Kenny quickly." She crouched down and threw herself half way through the window offering assistance.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tristan was trembling with fear.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you baby." Ava reminded her with an insane amount of confidence and certainty.

"How'd she get so brave?" Tara whispered to Summer.

"It's an act." Summer whispered back. "Alright Tristan baby you're up." Summer crouched down arms in the ready to hoist the 13 year old up. "You're safe with Ava if anything happens you run with her okay." Summer locked her eyes onto Tristan. "Ava won't let anything happen to you." Her eyes burned into the little girls begging for her to follow instructions.

Tristan only responded with a head nod.

It always amazed Summer how light children were, Tristan for example weighed feathers compared to the next person she hoisted, which was Tara.

"Can I go on record by saying this is the worst idea."

"Sure." Summer was shaking with muscle exertion by the time she got Tara to the window. Also apparently Ava's assistance stopped with the last child. She took a shaky breath the second Tara was clear and climbed onto the washer in order to make her escape.

"What's the matter mama" she heard from the corner of the basement, they all heard it. "Don't you wanna play?"

Tara's hand covered Tristan's mouth before she had a chance to scream. Ava practically swan dove back through the window in order to hold onto Summer, and yeah for a minute it worked but unfortunately for Summer well… Ava wasn't strong enough.

Ava could keep the scream in her mouth as she watched her best friend vanish from the washer, something had grabbed onto Summer's left leg and yanked, hard enough to pull her from the washer to the floor, hard enough to pull her into darkness. Summer screamed the whole way as she was dragged from safety to her impending death. Ava's arms still reached for Summer's outstretched arms long after the echo of Summer's scream vanished, she could almost feel the tips of Summer's fingers against hers, she could still see the fear in Summer's eyes.

They were going to die.

Not if she had anything to do about it. Ava was officially pissed off.

"MOM!" Kenny cried now officially giving into his own fear.

Ava sucked in a breath and reached for the weapon she had enough sense to snag on the way through the window. "Come on we have to go." She pushed her group onwards as she held up David's baseball bat.

Tara was in shock, she was practically useless at the point but Ava had determination and a promise to keep, she was getting them out of here.

Leading the way they rounded the house, successfully. She stood on the corner counting her breaths until she was finally calm enough to lead the group to the car. Looking back at the 3 she put a finger to her mouth and motioned for them to be silent, they nodded in agreement, and they were off. It was first just walking cautiously, but as the vehicle came closer and it appeared they were in the clear, the walking turned to spiriting. All 4 piled into the driver's seat, knocking over computers, coffee cups, and who cares really cares what else. Ava slammed the driver's side door and reached for the stick shift, it didn't budge, she pulled again and again until she soon realized their little oasis of hope was a dried up creek.

"Keys." She hissed. "There are no fucking keys." Her hands connected with the steering wheel in frustration and this point, not her finest of moments, she screamed.

The car maybe off but the head lights were on, and right now they lit up the body of the two dead cops in the drive way.

"You think they are on them?" Ava asked Tara when she came down from her panic attack.

With a nod Ava knew what she had to do, she would pat down the dead in hopes that they held the key to their safety, literally.

"Lock the doors, don't even open it for me, I'll open it with the keys." She opened up the driver side door and stepped out. "Oh don't get out of the fucking car." Cautiously with the bat raised to ready to swing away she approached the closest body, which happened to be Officer Kennedy. As she looked around she slowly kneeled down next to the man. Her eyes paid more attention to her surroundings then the body that her hands were touching. First place she felt for was the left pocket, nothing. She let out a small sob before moving over the body to the right.

Something moved in the distance.

She could hear Tristan screaming.

Her hand flew to the right pocket and her fingers twisted around the keys. Pulling them out she turned to run only to trip over her two left feet. She went from laying momentarily to crawling to running. 

Only problem, someone was waiting at the door she had to open.

"Stay in the car!" She screamed at the three trapped inside. "He can't get in." She held up the keys still looped around her finger. Her look of confidence fell when the figure at the driver side door did the same.

When they all realized what was in his hand Ava screamed for them to get out and not just get out but RUN!

Kenny and Tristan were out like a shot but Tara being older, slower, and well older took a little longer. The figure dove through the now open front door and grabbed her wrist across the seats before she had a chance to get out. Tara screamed as the man pulled her back into the car. Ava lunged forward to attack.

She didn't get far though.

"Tantsy Ava." The sickly sweet child like voice was right behind her, fear cemented her feet to the driveway. She watched Tara free her wrist from the hand holding her with a few impressive combat moves, Tara was out of the car and slamming the door on the figure before he could reach for her again.

"Ava move!" She screamed as she head towards the side walk.

Ava couldn't she was completely over taken with fear.

Tara stopped and watched for a second. "Ava come on!" her eyes scanning from figure in the car to Ava's frozen body.

"Will you play with me?" Ava screamed a scream that was loud enough to wake the dead, which it did.

Lights in house quickly flash on as Ava's scream continued on and on, neighbors came out of house and stood on their front steps in housecoats, hair curlers, slippers, pajamas, all awoke by the blood curdling scream.

"That's right bitches!" The front door flew open. "And that's why I'm the master of Halloween!" Summer walked out of the house just as Wayne and Officer Kennedy sat up.

Kenny and Tristan returned to the yard smiles on their faces.

Tara confused approached Ava who remained shaken with fear.

"What...What... What..." Ava began to say. "What..." She continued to stutter.

"What…" Seems Tara wasn't able to speak either.

"We scared you Tanstys." Kenny laughed as he ran to them. "We planned the whole thing." He looked at Tristan who nodded.

"What...What..." Ava continued as Summer finally made her way over hands up to show she came in peace.

"I'm sorry." Summer smiled. "But it's Halloween. I had to." She started to laugh. That laugh was what broke Ava from her fear induced coma. Ava's hands landed hard on Summer's chest causing Summer to fly backwards onto the grass, course that only made Summer laugh harder.

"You bitch!" Ava screamed as she threw herself forward. Luckily for Summer the figure from the car was quicker. Chibs held her back with a strong arm which actually took more effort than he assumed. "You stupid fucking BITCH!" Ava was on the verge of tears.

Tara was beyond the verge of tears and was being consoled by a fake blood covered Wayne.

"I said I was sorry." Summer wiped away a few laughter tears.

"I really think it would be a good idea for me to not talk to you right now." Ava took a few deep breathes. "Because I am this close." She showed how close with fingers. "To ripping your stupid face off." She pushed herself free from Chibs and started walking down the drive way.

"Oh Ava." Summer stood herself up and brushed the grass off of her hands on the back of her jeans, she followed the girl down the driving way walking with a slight limp. Apparently when Chibs pulled her from the drier with the prepared rope that she had tucked up her pant leg she had her herself. "Come on this is nothing compared to last year or the year before."

Ava motored ahead past house of annoyed neighbors who were slowly beginning to return to their beds.

"Seriously fuck you." Ava shouted over her shoulder.

"You're that mad?" Summer kept a few feet behind mostly to protect herself.

"Yes Summer I am seriously that fucking mad."

Elliot's car drove past them and pulled into Summer's driveway. Both Summer and Ava could hear Tristan going a mile a minute telling her father about everything that had happened. Ava shook her head when she finally realized Tristan had been in on it, Elliot had been in on it, Kenny had been in on it, the fucking cops had been in on it, Chibs had been in on it. But who was the one laughing.

"Did you set the crib back up?" She stopped walking but refused to look at Summer.

Summer remained silent.

"Did you!" She slammed her foot hard to the cement.

If she would have turned around she would have seen Summer nod. Course she didn't need to see it to know.

"You're a bitch." Ava continued to walk. "And don't follow me!" She snapped when Summer started to follow.

Summer stopped and watched her friend walk into the darkness, alone, and full of rage.

::

Tara was more forgiving then Ava and yes she was mad she was more relieved that this was all just a prank.

"Your okay right I didn't scare you into early labor?" Summer asked reaching her hands to the barely there belly.

"Uh you better hope you didn't" Tara smiled before shaking her head. "No baby is fine."

They were sitting on the front steps waiting for someone to return. Kenny had long fallen asleep in Summer's bed and Tristan was probably fast asleep in her own. Officer Kennedy and Wayne were called out on actual business and Chibs left with a slice of pizza, this now meant the two women alone, cold from sitting outside but alone none the less.

"She's really mad huh?" Tara stared out into the dark and empty street as if she had super vision and could right now see Ava stewing in anger.

"Yeah looks that way." Part of Summer, a small part, felt actually bad. Course the majority of her was still on a high from the scare she had pulled.

"Do you do this every year?" Tara asked popping her elbow up on her knees so that she could rest her tired head on it.

"Yup." Summer rested her cheek on her knee and looked at Tara with a grin on her face.

"And she gets this mad every year?" Tara shook her head praying this was the first and last year she would ever experience this.

"No this is a new level anger it seems." Summer moved her cheek from her knee and replaced it with her chin; she was now also looking out onto the empty street. "So I feel a little bad." She admitted. "I actually feel real bad." She continued to look down the street.

"She'll come back." Tara tried to reassure. "Right?" But even Tara wasn't sure.

Summer exhaled a deep breath before looking back at Tara and shrugged.

::

"Well I'm heading in." Tara yawned stretching her arms above her head.

"You go on it I'll be in soon." Summer smiled back towards Tara as she stood and made her way to the door.

"She will be back soon." Tara tried to sound reassuring again but fell flat when her face didn't really match her words.

"I know." Summer smiled before turning back to look at the street.

The second her front door closed and the world around her returned to silence she heard the echo of footsteps.

"Ava?" she asked into the darkness in front of her.

Silence.

"Ava?" she asked a little louder this time.

Silence.

The porch light above her flickered off.

She looked up into blackness.

"Tara can you turn the light back on?" she called to the house.

She could hear Tara's laughter on the other side of the door and knew her friend was trying to scare her, too bad for Tara though, you can't scare the master of Halloween.

The light flickered on and Summer was left screaming bloody murder.

Standing inches from her face was a masked face so scary so gruesome so unexpected.

Ava laughed as she pulled the mask from her face.

"Boom Bitch!" she threw the mask against Summer's chest, which at the moment was shaking with fear.

"How did you?" Summer picked up the mask and held it in her shaky hands.

"And that is how it's done." Ava stepped past her and head towards the door.

"You didn't scare me." Summer jumped up and followed her friend into the house.

"Please there is totally a wet spot where you are sitting." Ava walked through the front door.

"No there isn't" Summer glanced back to check, there wasn't.

As the night was coming to an end Summer smiled one last time as she looked out into the darkness, another Halloween another successful scare she exhaled a tired breath before she shut the door and lock out the all the ghost, goblins, and boogey men.

::

Next chapter will not have any scares…. Or will it.

Mawahahahahahahahahah


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

It seemed the only one not able to fall asleep in the bed was the one that technically owned the bed. She pulled her arm away from the boy who slept between herself and Ava and carefully removed herself from the bed without waking the other 4 all lost to a state of peaceful sleep or so she hoped. It was not yet early enough to be considered dawn and knew that the chances of catching any more sleep today were gone. She pulled the silky floral shawl hanging over the arm of her chair over her white tank top and left the room carefully shutting the door behind her.

The weather had seemed to change as quickly as the month had; she turned the thermostat up as she made her way to the kitchen. The cordless phone had been returned to the counter, even she shuttered at the scare from last night, yes it had been her to pull the prank but deep down the fear had been real, what if it hadn't been her, what if it was all real. It wasn't but what if.

Turning the element on the stove on she stared out the window as her water slowly began to boil. She watched the changes in the soon to be morning sky, across the horizon she could see where the sun slowly began to peek. She inhaled deeply closing her eyes for a second wondering what David would do on a day like today, would he be busy around the house fixing things on her to do list, would he spend the day with her or find an excuse to sneak away with Happy. Then her thoughts shifted for a second, would David have helped the police in arresting her so called family or would he be the one to stop it. Could he stop it? Should he stop it? The shrill whistle of the kettle brought her back from her thoughts. Well almost, lastly she thought of Ava as she placed the tea bag her in her cup. When did she miss the sudden relationship between Ava and Happy?

Pouring the scalding water in the cup she smiled to herself, this was good for Ava. This was the kind of thing that Ava needed, someone to challenge her, not put up with her shit, someone who would never dream nor be able to change her. Her last thought on the Happy/Ava thing was how scary their babies were going to be she shivered at the thought.

Walking to the living room phone in her hand and cup of tea in the other she thought of the last person she imagined having babies with. Ready to put the phone on the charger she stopped herself and stared down at the number pad. Suddenly the urge to talk to him seemed almost over whelming. Sitting down on the arm of the couch she began to dial the series of familiar numbers. It rang and for a minute she prayed it went to voice mail.

The phone clicked on after the first ring and the sound of his breathing told her he was waiting for her to say something first.

She suddenly found it hard to talk but after taking a few deep breaths she finally found her courage. "Hey."

"Bout time." His Irish accent caused her heart to flutter.

::

"You're busy." She could hear the background noise of children laughing, children talking, and a school bell?

"I was."

Her heart dropped.

"Till you called." She could hear the smile in his voice. "Summer hold on k." she loved the way he said her name just as much as he loved the way she said his. The phone became muffled as he covered the mic for the mouth piece. She could make out a faint amount of the conversation, he was telling someone "to be gone or else, have a good day and he would be back around 3:30." She wondered if he was really at a school.

"Back" he told her when the muffled noise ended.

"Where are you?" she smiled as she slide from the arm of her couch to the actual cushion of her couch and pulled her legs up to her chest.

"Don't worry about it k love. Now tell me about what you've been up to since the last time we chatted."

With that she filled him in on the last few days starting with the captivity, the rescue of her father, and the scare she pulled on her true family. She left out a few parts such as her father's arrest or the dismissal from "club family" which despite what Chibs told her still felt a little real and her overwhelming urge to buy a one way ticket back to him and his tiny apartment. She also left out the sleeping with Opie, the heartbreak of being back in her husband's house and the fact that Kenny had adopted her as his mom.

"Yeah according to the Irish Jimmy's escape from Morrow justice has him walking around like King Shit again. Bastard believes he's untouchable, he's threatening to grow his own empire."

"Will he?"

"His ego will be his downfall."

She didn't care about Jimmy and didn't call to talk about the man who still made her skin crawl, she sighed knowing that as soon as this conversation was over she would be in the shower washing, rising, and repeating the thought of Jimmy O off of her body.

"And about your little Halloween scare." she heard his smile once again. "Thank fuck I wasn't there."

"Why?" She smiled into her knee.

"Believe it or not I scare easy."

She laughed. Her giant of a man was a big fraidy cat.

"I also don't forgive easily." He threatened but she knew there was no weight behind it.

The conversation died into comfortable silence.

"Have you been carrying my phone around all this time?"

"Course." He answered as if it was something that was completely normal.

"Will you call me again?"

"That depends."

Her heart jumped, and not in a good way.

"On?"

He was silent for a second. "Do you want me to?"

Her smile returned, he could hear it when she spoke. "Yeah."

"But we really should be talking on a secure line." He continued. "Given who your father is chance are your phone is tapped."

"What does that mean?" He loved her innocence to this world she lived in.

"It means love you should be calling on a burner phone. Have your tech guy give you one and then send me the number."

"Shit." She sighed. "That might be a while. Juice is locked up."

"Get someone else." It dawned on her that maybe he didn't know about the arrest, maybe word hadn't reached them yet. She had just assumed he had known that's why she didn't bring it up.

"Clay was arrest, they all were."

The phone went silent and not the usual comfortable silence.

"What?" he growled. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I thought you knew."

He was silent again.

"Is something wrong?"

"I should have forced you to stay." His voice was small. "I should have tried harder."

"I would have left." She nervously picked lint from the lime green sweat capris she wore.

"When are they out?"

"Apparently a year and a bit." She kept her mouth shut as to why it was a year and a bit and not 10.

"Any patches left?"

She didn't know what he meant and when she didn't answer he knew too. "Any members love?"

"Oh yeah Chibs, Piney, some guy from another charter and Opie."

He sucked in a breath, a jealous breath.

"Opie is looking out of you I'm guessing?" his tone was cold, cold enough to make her shiver.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

The distance between them now seemed impossibly large, they both felt it.

"Listen I gotta." He started but didn't finish. "Text me the number or something when you get it."

She nodded her response knowing he couldn't see her.

"Or don't." was the last thing he said before he hung up.

Add this conversation to the list of heart breaking moments in her life; put it somewhere between her mama dying and her "club family" humiliating her in order to pull a fast one on their mortal enemy, the law.

::

"So this is it," Ava walked into the gas station arms stretched wide. "My place of employment." She was glowing with pride as Summer trailed behind.

"It's lovely," and she meant it.

"So this is where I will be for the next 8 hours." Ava skipped, yes you read this right, skipped behind the till where she once again fanned out her arms in front of her showing her pride in the little gas station/corner shop.

Her smile so infections that even Summer who was still in heart break mode had to smile. "You're a serious freak you know that right?"

Ava nodded. "A freak with a job." She was glowing, it was weird, Summer shook her head. "You got school today?"

Pulling up a stool Ava made herself comfortable in the chair she would be sitting in for the next 8 hours; she also pulled a candy necklace from the pocket of her red jump suit and pulled it over her head.

"Yeah." Summer said with a sigh leaned against the counter resting balled up fist under her chin. "I am behind my teachers said I could make it up over the winter break."

"Well my hair is available if you need it." Ava volunteered.

"Speaking of which your roots are coming it, were you serious before when you said you wanted to grow your hair out?" Summer reached for the dyed chocolate brown hair.

Ava shrugged, there were only a hand full of people who would know the exact shade of strawberry blonde (more to the red shade of blonde) her hair was, Summer included, Sack was also on the list, oh and her gyno doc.

"Personally I think dark suits you." Summer leaned back releasing the ends of Ava's hair.

Ava shrugged again.

"Wanna get drunk tonight?" After a few minutes of silence Ava finally suggested.

"Yes." Summer answered with a smile.

::

Officer Kennedy watched the widow of his boss leave the hair academy and cross the street. He had watched her always from a far from the first moment his boss asked her out to now. He had always watched, not trying to sound or seem creepy, but he watched. At first it was out of jealousy for what his boss had and what he wanted, it wasn't so much the woman but the idea of the woman. And then he saw the way this woman, this Summer, had changed David for the better and then his jealous went from wanting the idea of the woman to wanting the actual woman. He started to notice things about her, the way she smiled, the way her eyes lit up when she was happy, the way she stared deep into your eyes when you talked to her, she never looked away when you spoke to her, ever.

He had been watching her long enough to start picking up on things that were changing to her. When was the last time Summer wore a dress? When was the last time Summer wore something that wasn't black, and when the hell did she get so skinny. The leggings Summer wore seemed loose against her legs and the boots she wore to cover up the weight loss did nothing to hid it, even if they came up above her knee. The gray shirt was almost too loose as it hung over her body making her shapeless and forgettable. Her hair yes was still as wild and untamed but didn't bounce the same way it used to when she walked.

Worst of all was the smile that never seemed to reach her eyes. That was the biggest and most dramatic change. Last night was the first time in a long time since he'd seen her true smile almost returned, and he thanked his lucky stars that he had a part to play in bringing back her smile.

He heard the rumble of a Harley behind him as he sat in the cruiser car and watched Summer cross the street, she had heard the Harley to and looked over her shoulder in the direction it was coming from.

From the cruise car he watched Opie pull to a stop in front of her cutting her off as she cross the street. He watched her attempt to walk around the front of the bike but the man's had on her arm stopped her. He watched as they started a heated conversation he was too far away to hear.

He didn't need to hear the words.

He just had to watch her to know how mad or hurt she was.

::

"Fuck off." She pulled her arm out of his hand. "I told you to leave me alone."

"No you didn't tell me you had the fucking shit head cop tell me."

"Then by all means allow me to." She held her arm to her chest as though he hurt her, he had. From where he sat he could see the reddening skin peak out from under her sleeve.

"Summer." He pulled the helmet from his head and replaced it with his hands. Frustration had him raking his fingers through his long hair.

"Why are we even still talking about this?" She took a step back putting a safe distance between them. "You're getting married." Even though she tried her hardest, she couldn't keep the hurt out of her voice.

She refused to look at him.

He needed her to look at him.

"I thought you were..." he looked around at people pretending not to look. This wasn't the place for this conversation.

"Dead" apparently for her it was the place. "You thought I was dead so you replaced me in what a day?"

"How many times have you replaced me?!" Her words hit home deep down in his broken heart. "How many men have you picked over me?" He was off the bike closing in on the safe distance she had made between them.

Putting her hands up in front of her she held him back, barely.

"You told me to!" Her eyes looked back up at him.

"You make your own fucking choices." His eyes locked on hers.

"I did everything that you asked."

"So if I asked you to jump off a bridge." He was mad, shaking mad, seeing red mad.

She shoved him back as hard as she could, he didn't budge, so she tried again, and again, and again. He moved backwards as she moved forward rage leading the way for both of them.

"I HATE YOU!" She screamed as her hands turned to fists and suddenly he went from being pushed to punch. "How could you just leave me? How could you turn your back on me so quickly!" She continued to scream laying a rather sad fisted assault on his chest, which he took, which he barely felt.

And then she surprised all those who watched.

She kissed the bearded man.

::

Opie spun her around so that her back was up against the wall, not his. His body pushed against Summer's giving her next to no room to move.

She didn't seem to mind though.

The kiss she was giving him was full of need, need for the pain to stop, need for the memories to stop, need for an out lit for her frustration.

This was no gentle kiss; this was a hair pulling, lip biting kind of kiss. And by lip biting I don't mean little nips here and there, through the kiss a hint of a metallic taste filled Opie's mouth, he didn't know if it was his lip or hers.

They needed to get out of there, and now.

"Get on the bike." He told her as he broke away from the kiss. There was no "please" to his demand, this was simple him pulling the male dominance card and her being expected to follow, which she did.

He climbed on not hiding the fact that he was sporting a massive erection and waited until her chest was against his back before starting the bike.

Officer Kennedy watched as the bike headed away from watching eyes.

::

This was the second time in Summer's life that she found herself being fucked in an alley, the first time she remembered bits and piece of this, this time would she would remember how dirty she felt afterwards.

Opie's wildest fantasies were being played out before him. He was making one thing completely clear to her, he was the man, and he was in control. He had her bent over his bike in a way no "innocent" woman should ever be, one hand hold her hips tightly in place well the other hand was currently yanking her hair causing her head to pull back at an uncomfortable angle.

For her this was about relief for him this was about giving an educational lesson. She needed to be reminded of her role in this life, she was nobody special, she was just another bitch.

Her cries became huskier as he pumped himself in and out of her harder and harder. Every time he felt her ass against his bare skin he found himself needed to be deeper inside, deep enough to cause pain, deep enough to make her remember who exactly he was, he was man hear him roar.

Worst part about all of this, she was coming, repeatedly.

And then it was his turn, but really wasn't that all he cared about at his point. He released inside her with a growl that could be heard blocks away, well would have been if they hadn't be in a secluded part of town.

Instead of falling forward to feel the touch of her silky skin against his sweaty skin he pulled out and tucked himself back into his pants.

She stayed leaning forward ass exposed breathing deeply, her shoulders rising and falling quickly as she fought to recover.

He looked down at her feeling nothing but anger towards her, he loved her more than he had ever loved anyone before and still it wasn't good enough, she used him repeatedly and still he would never be anything more than just a fuck and forget kind of guy.

"Fuck her," he thought to himself as he once again became blinded by his rage. She wants to treat him like how his brothers treat the crow eaters back at the club house then fine, he could do the same.

"Get off the bike." He told her in a growl.

She looked over her shoulder at him body still heaving a sad smile formed on her face as she stepped away to pull her leggings back up. He climbed swinging one leg over then the other and started it up. He looked at her as she stepped forward to follow his lead. The look he gave her froze her feet to the ground.

"Thanks for the fuck," he told her before he drove away without a second glance back.

::

It took her a couple minutes to scrape together what little

self-dignity she had before she walked out of the alley. She made it a few steps when she heard the quick siren behind her, it was an alert to pull over just an indication she wasn't alone.

"Hey you out for a walk?" She looked over her shoulder at the officer who was getting out of his car.

"Something like that." She refused to look him in the eye as shame took over.

He approached her on the sidewalk a confident smile on his face, he was the good guy she reminded herself.

"What's wrong?" He seemed genuinely concerned as his head tilted lower to get a look of her face.

"Nothing," she plastered a smile on her face and looked up at him, she was fooling no one of course.

"You sure?" He took a step forward, she took a step back.

"I should." She looked around and would have said left but this was a part of town she wasn't comfortable with, had this man not shown up she probably would be lost right now. "Do you think you could give me a lift," she sighed?

"Course." He nodded causally slipping his hand to the small of her back and leading her to the car. It was because she viewed this officer, a coworker to her late husband as a good guy, that she trusted him, that she allowed him to touch her gently; to bad she didn't know the truth.

::

Summer slid easily into the passenger seat next to him. He could smell the scents of sex all over her body, his dick jumped; he prayed she didn't notice, she hadn't. Looking out the window beside her she stared at the alley where she went from Samcro Princess to common whore.

"Any plans tonight?" He asked as he started the car.

She shrugged. "Getting shit faced." She told the window.

"Fun." He put the car into park inhaling once again the scents pouring out of her body.

"I guess." She sat back turning her head away from the window. "What about you?" She turned to look at him, he shook his head and looked back at her a small smile on his face.

"I will be keeping this town safe tonight."

She tilted her head. "You seem to work a lot." It wasn't an insult or anything just an observation.

"We are kind of short staffed." He pulled the vehicle away from the curb. "People always assume that with Samcro out of the way the town is a little bit "safe" he quoted the words "safe." "Problem is young idiots who want a piece of your father's pie think they have what it takes to fill the void." He looked at her, she looked away.

"And what do you think of my father?" She asked the window.

"I think he is a man that cares deeply about his family."

She barely glanced over at the cop who was now back to looking at the road.

"I think he is a ruthless killer when he needs to be and a protector when he has to be." The cop continued. "As much as people don't want to believe it Samcro has done a lot for this town. They have helped in ways people can't see. There is a reason why the streets aren't lined with junkies like in the bigger cities"

"You sound like a fan." She leaned forward to adjust the heat temperature. He got another whiff of her scent and felt his dick jump once again, once again she hadn't noticed.

"Don't get me wrong I don't support the club but I do respect it." He glanced at her and she glanced at him.

"You know we are going to be over at Sheppard's bar tonight if you are able to duck out early."

He looked back to the road. "You guys have a ride home?"

She shrugged. "We'll probably taxi it or I'm sure Chibs will force a prospect to chaperon us."

"I doubt he would really need to force them to do it." He didn't look at her when he spoke so she wasn't sure if he was attempting to flirt with her or what.

They fell silent for a minute.

"I could pick you guys up if you need it." He now looked at her only for a second out of the corner of his eye. She was looking out the window with her head turned away from him.

"That's sweet but."

"It's up to you the offer is on the table." He cut her off before she could say no.

This time when she looked at him she gave him an almost "Summer Smile."

"Alright if we need a ride home I'll call you." She patted him on the shoulder and let her hand fall down the biceps which formed his arm until they were at his elbow and falling to the seat below, why would she touch him, because that's just the kind of person Summer was, she communicated a lot through simple touching. As her fingers fell away from the man she turned her head back to the window once again missing the tell-tale signs of Officer Kennedy's feelings towards her, which would be the rock hard erection in the front of his pants.

::

"What is she doing here?" Summer hissed as she pulled Ava back through the door they had just walked through. The music in this bar was too loud so she had to get extra close to Ava's ear just to be heard.

"Who?" Ava looked around scanning the crowd for anyone that would be unwelcomed. Her eyes stopped on Lyla. "Lyla?" She looked at Summer confused.

"Yes Lyla." Summer was definitely leading the way for them to exit the building completely.

Digging her heals in to the floor Ava stopped them. "What is wrong with you?" She pulled her arm from Summer's hand.

"I can't face her not after what I did with Opie."

"That was like a week ago and beside I doubt she knows."

"That was like a few hours ago and it doesn't matter if she knows or not I can't face her."

Summer planned to leave the bar with or without her girls, Lyla not included.

"Hours ago?" Ava raised her perfectly sculpted left eye brow. "Summer why?" She wasn't judging, she was just concerned.

"I don't know." She put both hands to her forehead as a sea of messy blonde hair fell over her face. "I didn't plan to fuck him it just happened and then it was done and..."

"Hey" A new voice spoke

Summer looked towards the voice of the other person who would be disappointed in her actions.

"What's going on?" Tara asked looking from Ava to Summer then back to Ava then back to Summer. "What?" her tone went from fun and cheerful to serious.

"Nothing she just has a head ache." Ava smiled.

"Oh no really?" Tara reached for the purse on her shoulder. "I have some Tylenol if you need it."

"No it's alright I think." Summer pointed towards the door with her thumb.

"Some alcohol would probably do the trick." Ava cut her off before she could even consider leaving.

Both Tara and Ava took an arm as they looped theirs through Summers and lead her into the main part of the bar.

"Bitch" she mouthed to Ava who just blew her back a dramatic kiss.

"Hey!" Lyla smiled wide looking more like an innocent teen then an adult porn star.

"Hi." Summer couldn't even pretend to match her enthusiasm.

"You look really nice!" Lyla yelled over the music. Funny how when someone tells you that you look nice you always look down at what your wearing and wonder if they really are only saying that too well, be nice.

Summer looked down at her fitted jeans which were tucked into the same thigh high boots she had been wearing when she fucked Lyla's fiancé, yes she wore shoes when they had sex there was no way in hell she would go bare footed in that filthy alley. The outfit was completed with another baggy but off the shoulder shirt, this time in black, and this one as equally loose as all her others, she was completely forgettable tonight.

"Thanks." Summer mumbled into the drink that Ava handed her.

"You still at the salon?" Lyla continued pointing to the inch deep roots of blonde in her dark brown locks.

"Yup." Summer couldn't even look Lyla directly in the eye, she gave Lyla the illusion she was by looking at her penciled brown eye brows.

"Mind if I make an appointment for a touch up?" God this was killing her. Why couldn't Lyla be a bitch?

"Course call the salon tomorrow and they can book a time." Summer flinched at how cold she sounded. "You know what just come by on Thursday anytime and I'll fit you in." She now looked down towards Lyla's eyes and smiled a genuine smile. It was when they looked in each other's eyes smiling that Lyla raised her drink to her mouth and something other than Lyla's eyes caught Summer's eyes. It was a spark in the light of the club that made Summer's eyes look from Lyla's to the ring on her left finger, the engagement ring.

And Lyla smiled a cold smile that no one but Summer saw because Lyla knew that she had finally won.

::


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The cold smile that Lyla gave her was too quick to be noticed by Tara or Ava but Summer had seen it and it was more than enough to push her back towards the direction of the door.

Placing the drink in her hands back down on the table she turned in the direction of the nearest exit only to see the other person who could keep this nightmare going.

Opie flanked by 1 patched sons and 2 prospects walked in as though they owned the joint.

"Boo." Ava cried. "No fair this is girl's night."

"Sorry guys." Lyla jumped off the stool and threw herself into her fiance's arms. "I invited them."

"Yeah and who invited you." Summer heard Ava mumble. She also heard Ava cry out in pain as Tara's elbow connected with Ava's ribs.

"I'm out." Summer said loud enough for the table and the group approaching the table to hear.

"But you just got here." Lyla pouted as though she actually felt bad Summer was leaving.

Summer rolled her eyes and turned towards her friends. "Call me later." she began to walk away from the table when the patched member she barely knew grabbed hold of her right hand.

"But I haven't had a chance to buy you a drink yet."

"I'm sure there's lots of women you can blow your money on instead." She didn't look back at him as she pulled her hand from his.

"Probably but I'd rather waste all my best lines on you." He grabbed onto her left hand this time.

"I'm nothing special." She glanced over Kozik head towards Opie who was watching their every move. She made sure she said it loud enough for him to hear.

"Are you serious girl?" Kozik took a step forward believing that the fact that she spoke to him he may have meant he had chance, he didn't.

She could see the way Opie shoulders straighter when Kozik stepped a little too close to her, she knew why, and now the ball was back in her court, he was jealous.

Lyla was talking to some girl she had recently shot a scene with and was ignoring the way Opie tensed up.

Tara and Ava were in their own conversation with the two prospects on babysitting duty but very much away of the situation developing around them.

And Summer, well Summer was trying to decide how much she wanted to hate herself in the morning. Kozik would be the perfect means for nasty revenge but Summer was Summer, had this be Gemma or even Ava feelings would have been ignored or not relevant and in the morning it wouldn't be another thought.

But this was Summer.

She took a step back and shook her head.

Opie's shoulders loosened.

"No thank you." She gave him a small but sweet smile and made her way to the door.

::

"Where do you think you're going?" She spun around a few blocks away from the bar when the familiar voice caught up with her.

"Home." She smiled at the girls who had escaped their prison wardens.

"When you say home you really mean another bar right?" Ava smiled.

"You guys alone?" Summer looked behind them making sure they weren't followed.

"Told them Tara would suck their dicks if they give us the night off."

Tara gasped. "What?!" She also slugged Ava in the shoulder.

"No of course not." Ava told Tara while she rubbed feeling back into her numb arm. She waited until Tara wasn't looking and mouthed "Yes" with a big nod of her head.

Summer laughed pulling her friends in close to her. "So ladies. Where are we going?"

"I think I have an idea." Ava smiled.

::

"Jax will shoot me if he finds out I'm here." Tara stood outside the only bar in town that had a worse reputation than the Samcro biker's.

"He won't know." Ava smiled walking backwards towards the bar motioning for the other two women to follow.

"Yeah Ava I don't know about this." Summer even though highly reluctant still followed.

"You guys I come here all the time." Ava turned to open the door waving her hand for the girls to enter.

"Gross." Summer told her as she passed. "Why this place is a dive?"

Ava shrugged smacking Tara on the butt as she finally made it through the door.

"Don't touch anything okay." Tara whispered to Summer. "This place is seriously a walking infection."

The bar was a ratio of about 18:1 that is 10 men for every 1 woman and right now including Summer, Ava and Tara that made it a total of about 3 women.

Summer and Tara stood practically on top of each other as Ava eased her way to the bar. Three chairs which just happened to be prime bar location magically opened up.

"Come on." Summer whispered.

"You first." Tara whispered back.

"You first." Summer nudged her forward.

"Together?" Tara suggested, Summer nodded, and together they made their way through the crowd of hair, dirty, sweaty, biker wanna be manly men who looked at them as though they had never seen a woman before.

Ava was laughing at a joke that the man to her left was slurring out, it occurred to Summer then that no one was giving them any trouble, which seemed a little weird.

"No one is talking to us." She whispered into Tara's ear.

"I know they won't even look at us." Tara whispered back.

"They won't." The bartender leaned forward and whispered to both of them a smile on his handsome face. "They respect your girl too much to start any shit." He nodded his head towards Ava.

"Why?" Summer looked at Ava who was now introducing Summer and Tara to some of the men around without actually introducing Summer and Tara.

"Because your girl scares the shit out of them." The bartender smiled and took the tops off of two beers and handed them to the girls, Tara of course refused hers, luckily for Summer she had two hands.

::

Throughout the night the ratio in the bar began to even out as more women filled up the bar, they all looked the same though, less scary versions of Gemma. Summer began to wonder if there was a biker bitch store in this town, maybe they all exchanged emails on where to get the best priced leather or skin tight tops, she wondered if Gemma was on that mailing list.

"It's like Gemma's a walking inspiration for these ladies." Tara leaned back into her chair; they had gone from the bar to a table.

"Tell me about it." Ava took a pull on her beer.

Summer noticed the way Ava's eyes scanned the club, had she always be so overly aware of their surroundings? Yes, the answer to that would be yes.

Summer smiled to herself before she too took a long sip of her beer.

"This place is actually great." Tara's shoulders were swaying to the country music filling the speakers.

"Would you actually think I'd take you somewhere that wasn't?" Ava asked.

Both Tara and Summer nodded, then smiled.

"Bitches." Ava mumbled looking away from the girls.

Summer took this time to look at her friend, really really look at her. Ava seemed to have aged a little, now I don't mean she was getting wrinkles or anything I mean she just looked older, wiser, experienced, maybe even tougher. She definitely got how people thought Ava was scary, with her eyes that looked past the skin and deep into your soul, or that smile that could chill blood, she was the living breathing quote that went "When your feet hit the floor in the morning the devil said, "Crap she's up."

Today Ava's poker straight hair was pulled away in a ponytail and the tips of her pony tail brushed between the shoulder blades which were covered in a combination of leather and what Summer would describe as "wet suite" material. When did she get such a seriously cool jacket? She honestly looked like she should be out fighting criminals or in Ava's case fighting against the hero's instead of in a bar drinking beer with a doctor or with the girl that their friends back home would say is the "good girl."

Ava's eyes side glanced Summer and Summer knew that she had been caught, of course Ava had known all along that she was under the scrutinizing gaze of Summer but wasn't about to call her on it. Summer smiled a small "you caught me" smile before drinking back the rest of her beer.

"Let's dance!" Tara interrupted the evaluation of Ava by Summer.

Ava raised an eye brow towards Summer.

Summer shrugged a shoulder.

The three made their way onto the dance floor; their table would remain empty until they returned, consider it reserved under the name of fear.

::

He walked into the bar that under normal circumstances he would never step foot into. The patrons of this bar knew exactly who he was and didn't hide the distrust they had for him, but that also didn't deter him.

His fist clenched when he saw her at the bar, politely laughing at some other man's joke. Her hand had fallen forward on his bicep as she laughed the most innocent laugh. It was if there was some sort of cosmic pull between them he convinced himself, because the moment he laid eyes on her she looked past the asshole that was making her laugh and looked her eyes on his. He even believed that her smile grew the second she saw him.

"Hey." She walked away from the man who now had to suffer the sting of her rejection and towards the officer dressed in street clothes. "I thought you had to work."

"I got the night off." He smiled at her.

She glanced him up and down not in a way to be "suggestive" but more in a way to look at how he looked out of the uniform, dressed in fitted jeans and a gray flannel button up she found his style very similar to her husband's, she also found that very comforting. "How did you know we were here?" her eye brows pulled together slightly.

"Coincidence." He looked around him before stepping a little closer. "I come here all the time."

The bartender who was currently pretending not to be obviously listening snapped his head up seconds after the man who had never stepped foot in this bar for as long as he'd worked there said the words.

"Really?" She took an innocent step back putting a comfortable amount of distance between them.

"Yeah all the time."

She smiled a suspicious smile but thought nothing more of it. Maybe he did come here all the time, who was she to say otherwise.

"Well are you gonna buy me a drink then?" She turned her back to him so that she could face the bar.

The bartender who had her bottle of beer opened and ready watched the cop stare a little too long, a little too hard, and a little to openly at her ass.

By the time she looked back at Officer Kennedy she had missed him in the act of two things: 1) staring at her behind 2) ordering the same beer without her noticing.

She smiled up at him when his beer the exact same brand as her MGD was placed next to hers without him even asking, she fell for the lie.

"You like MGD," She smiled clinking the neck of her bottle against his? "David hated it." Her smiled remained as did the shadow her husband cast.

Nerves made him drink half of his beer in a sip.

She was staring at him.

He was sweating.

"I hope you're a dancer." She nodded for him to follow. "Because you are about to join a group that belongs on the dance floor." She gave him a smile he hadn't seen since before David died.

"I'm sure I could try." He wasn't a dancer.

"Oh there is no trying." He saw her wink as she turned her head away from him and continued to their table; of course what he saw wasn't the same as what she actually did.

::

"This is Ava and I'm sure you know Tara." Summer introduced her girls to the man who had placed himself in her life.

Both Tara and Ava side glanced each other before extended hands towards the off duty cop. Ava was more reluctant to shake where Tara just threw her hand into the cop's.

"I'm sorry about the other day." He gave an apologetic smile to both women, his eyes stayed on Ava longer than they had on Tara.

Ava smirked, cross her arms over her chest and sat back in her chair a little too "Gemma like" and gave absolutely no indication on whether she accepted the apology or not. His smiled remained even with the snub from Ava.

"I love this song!" Summer almost sang when the music changed. She jumped up to her feet her body began to move along with the beat as she extended a hand to Tara and then Ava, when nether jumped at the chance to bust a move with her, she turned to Officer Kennedy.

"Well you gonna leave me hanging?" she held her hand out for him.

"No ma'am," He placed his hand in hers and being the man of this "blooming" relationship led her to the dance floor.

"I don't like him." Ava said not caring if he was in hearing distance, he wasn't.

"Why?" Tara asked after she pulled a sip from her water bottle.

"He's creepy."

"He's not creepy." Tara laughed. "He's cute." She looked towards the man who was a probably a year or so younger than David had been. And this man was the definition of a good ol' All American boy. He was that someone that you would be proud to take home, someone that the parents would approve of.

"Yeah I don't like him." Ava said again looking away from Summer laughing innocently as the cop spun her around. "Besides who spells Marc with a c. God" she rolled her eyes and turned away from the dance floor.

"Maybe he's French." Tara shrugged. "I think he is just coming off a little strange because he is probably really nervous."

"Or because he is actually really strange."

Now it was time for Tara to roll her eyes. "You hear from Happy at all?"

The blush that spread over Ava's freckled dusted cheeks told her she had.

"You whore what happened?" Tara laughed.

"No of your business." Ava sipped her beer and turned away from her friend.

"Ew" Tara laughed.

"It's not like that!" Ava whined, which made Tara laugh even harder.

"Why are you so embarrassed right now?" Tara said through laughter tears.

"I'm not!" Ava's whine became louder.

"You phone sexed him." Tara said loud enough for the few men around to here.

Ava's eyes widened part in shame part in embarrassment. "I didn't phone sex him." She leaned forward and hissed. "Well not really." She admitted before sitting back and downing the rest of her beer.

"Tell me." Tara smiled. "Does he give good phone?"

Ava smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "We both know that I do though." She winked before she got up to get another beer.

::

He stepped on her toes a few times but she didn't mind, she appreciated that yes he was beyond uncomfortable he was putting himself out there for her. She moved in a way that he could see almost all of her body at once and when she closed her eyes a few times to really lose herself to the country song he stole the chance to get closer.

She didn't back away so clearly she wanted it to right?

By the time the song came to an end he was close enough to her that he could smell the deep and warm body wash she used to clean that piece of shit biker off of her skin. Her head came to his shoulders so he was able to smell her hair without it seeming overly suspicious, he could also look over her towards the table where her friend sat watching. The one that looked more evil then that bitch Summer call step mom watched him through cut eyes, she would be a problem. The doctor was different, he could use her, sway her to his side, and she would be his in.

The other one though, she had to go, too bad for her though the plan was already in motion.

::

As much as he hated dancing in public he hated the fact that it ended more, after she had decided she had had enough she dragged him back to the table with her friends for more beer and more one sided conversations.

Leaning back in his chair trying to appear causal he grimaced slightly as he poured back the beer into his mouth, Ava noticed.

"Oh remind me I need to buy a plunger tomorrow." She told the two other girls at the table. "I'm sure David has one somewhere I just can't find it."

"What do you need a plunger for?" He sat forward. He was about to show her how much she needed a man like him in her life.

"Well I need a plunger because of all this" she fisted clumps of her hair. "The drain is running a lot slower than usual and I think I've clogged it."

"A plunger might make it worse you should really snake it out." He was educating her in the ways of plumbing, it was going completely over her head. "I can come over tomorrow and do it for you."

"You know how to do that?"

"Of course." He smiled finishing his beer bottle. "It's part of the male DNA code along with assembling furniture and fishing."

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the eye roll Ava was giving him, Summer noticed it too.

"Somethings in my eye." Ava smiled giving an excuse for her rudeness.

Turning back to Marc she nodded. "Yeah tomorrow's fine. I have school during the day so after dinner should be fine."

"You still are going to watch Abel right?" Tara quickly asked.

"Of course." Summer turned away from Marc, he sat back feeling pretty good about his evening for tomorrow night booked, now he just need a crash course in plumbing.

::

"I can't believe they gave you the slip." Opie growled at the new prospect.

"I can't believe it took you over an hour to notice they were gone." Chibs growled at the patched members tasked with only one thing, keep an eye on Summer.

Those who had been at the bar when the group of three vanished had called upon the more seasoned Son. Next to Piney, Chibs out ranked those patched members who weren't in jail by more than 10 years, he was the authority while the Pres was away.

"Have you tried her house?" Lyla asked that obvious question only to be glared into silence by 3 angry sons and 2 scared prospects. She remembered her place before turning away from the men and back to her conversation with a fellow coworker.

"Have you tried her house?" Chibs leaned in closer to the men and repeated the question.

"Yeah no answer."

"Cells?" He asked

"No answer."

Turning slightly away from the men in leather he looked around the bar. "Would they go to another bar?"

"There is no other bar." Opie reminded him.

"No there is another bar." Chibs shook his head and headed in the direction of the door.

::

"Last call folks" the bartender yelled over the music.

"You guys want a round for the road?" Marc offered.

Summer nodded, Ava shrugged and Tara shook her head, with that he headed towards the bar.

"What is with you?" Summer leaned towards Ava and hissed.

"What?" Ava batter her eye lashes.

"You're being rude." Summer informed her.

"I'm being myself." Ava corrected her. "I'm rude to everyone."

"Well your being extra rude to him."

"Summer listen." She leaned forward to meet Summer. "There is something not right with that guy." Her face was stone cold serious; it was that reason that made it so hard for Summer to keep a serious face.

"You're joking right?" she said between breathy laughs.

Ava's jaw dropped at how quickly Summer had dismissed her evaluation of this stranger.

"I'm sure it's just his nerves." Summer came up with the same reasoning as Tara. "Honestly like I'm sure we are probably a pretty intimidating group." She held up a hand to Tara and pointed her thumb into her palm, which just happened to be pointing in Ava's direction.

"Listen laugh at me all you want I just think that something..." Ava's words drifted as she looked past Summer and Tara towards the door and the men who had just walked in. "Busted" she slightly pointed behind them.

Both Tara and Summer turned to watch a very unhappy Chibs approach.

"Well what do we have here?" He leaned forward resting his hand on the backs of both Tara and Summer's chairs. "We have our president's daughter and our VP's old lady." He opened his mouth to continue when he looked across at Ava but with the shake of her head said nothing.

"This was my idea." Ava raised her chin.

"Of course it was." Chibs pulled out the chairs both ladies were sitting on so that they could stand. "After you." He smiled to his little wing.

"Your being unreasonable." She smiled back.

"Am I now?" He stepped back as she stood up. "Little Wing you just gotta make it through the next 14 months in one piece." He put a hand on the small of her back and started towards the door. "Please don't make this harder than it has too."

"I promise nothing." She smiled as she allowed him to lead her away.

It was at the door that she remembered Marc. "Shit just give me a second." She pulled away from his arm and made her way to the bar.

"Hey." She reached for his hand before he had a chance to pay for the round. "We are actually leaving now." She nodded towards the familiar bikers watching her every move. "You serious about tomorrow?"

He nodded.

"K well how about you don't eat and I'll make us dinner, to show my appreciation."

"Alright."

"Come around 5?"

"Sounds good."

She left him with a smile and ran back towards her waiting group. The men who had come to escort her home looked at him the same way the men in this bar had, there was differently no trust between the bikers and this cop. Marc watched as she took the older biker's arm and slug it over her shoulder. He watched her smile up at the man and laugh at some unheard comment.

Marc watched as the biker led his property away from him.

::

Tara was lying in her empty bed with the cordless phone stuck to her ear. She traced her finger over her growing belly and smiled.

"I missed you last night."

"Babe you will never understand the feelings of missing someone until you put yourself in my shoes."

"I would but I don't think they would fit," she smiled.

She could hear him laugh.

"When I can start coming up?"

"Next week."

She nodded.

"Next week and the week after and the week after," he continued.

She smiled.

"How's my sister?"

"Mad." Tara turned onto her side facing the pillow he would have slept on. "At you." She added.

"Course she is. Think she'll get over it?"

Tara shrugged. "She's already forgiven Chibs. But then again she always liked him the best."

Jax shook his head as he threw his arm over the telephone casing unit. His Tara was becoming more and more, sassy in her old age.

"But she's okay?"

"She's fine. Scared the shit out of me on Halloween but other than that." Tara sat up. "Actually Ava wanted me to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Well it's more of a concern then question from Ava."

He remained silent waiting for her to ask or tell or whatever.

"You ever deal with an officer Marc Kennedy?"

Jax thought back to all the cops he's dealt with.

"Maybe I don't know why?"

"It's nothing really." Tara frowned and reached for the moisturizer on the bed side table. "He is totally smitten with your sister."

Jax grunted his disproval of the idea of his sister once again dating.

"And Ava thinks there is something wrong with him."

"Wrong like how?" One thing he had learned throughout his life was never to ignore the intuition of a woman.

She began to load on the cocoa butter. "I don't know honestly he's almost just like David."

"hmm" Jax said racking his brain once again for a face to go with the name.

"Seriously Jax I'm sure it's nothing."

The operator kicked in telling them they had less than a minute.

"You working tonight?" he asked quickly.

"Sure am."

"Kiss my boy for me and tell him I love him."

"I will."

"I love you." He told her.

"I love you." She told him.

::

"Hey" Opie ignored the person thinking that they were calling someone else, which was till he heard it again. "Hey!" it was louder this time.

He turned around to see a walking spit fire in a red jump suite approach from inside the gas station.

"Ava." He nodded towards her.

"What do you know about plumbing?" She asked as she approached him and his bike. She glanced at the gas pump as the gage the continued to go up.

He shrugged. "Know some shit why?"

"Summer needs a plumber."

"And."

"You need to help her."

"She can't phone a plumber?"

Ava tilted her head to the side. "No she can't phone a fucking plumber."

He smiled loving her bluntness, course he wouldn't tolerate it if she was his old lady. "Sure she would rather have anyone but me inside her house."

"Be there by 4:30."

"Can't." He pulled the gas nozzle out of his bike.

"4:30 sharp." She turned to walk away. "Oh and gas is on me."

::


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Summer had just stepped through the doors of the hair salon when she heard her name. She turned around to see Officer Kennedy walk away from the vehicle he had just finished giving a ticket to. Pulling the sunglasses from her head she smiled at the man.

"Hey." She watched the car drive past, the driver of that vehicle gave the back of the cop approaching a very impressive glare. "Think you just made a friend."

He shrugged and looked towards the car driving away.

"Yeah well I didn't get into this career to make friends." Her smiled faded a little. "So we still on for tonight?" He picked up on the way his words had just affected her and quickly changed the topic.

"Of course." Her smiled returned. "I was just heading to the grocery store right now." She pulled the strap from messenger bag over her shoulder and across her chest her hair instantly became tangled up in the strap of her bag. "Any requests?" She was pulling her hair away and not looking at the man who was staring point blank at her chest.

"No." He blinked a few times. "Anything is fine."

"Anything." She laughed. "That's either says you trust me a lot or you're a risk taker." She finally looked at him as her hair became free from for the strap.

"Honestly I'm sure anything you make will be great. Do you want me to bring anything?" He had his hand in the back of his hair a mannerism that David had.

"Seriously Marc you're the one that is doing me the service you don't bring a thing. I just hope that dinner is enough to show my thanks."

He instantly blushed his mind running through a list of ways she could thank him.

"I mean I'm a good cook but I'm not that good." Her thoughts were still far away from the wave lengths his were on.

They stood for a second in silence as he tried to regain a grip on reality.

"Well I should." She pointed her thumb in the direction of the store. "See you at 5?"

"Yeah see you then." He took a step back but continued to watch as she walked away, without a glance back towards him.

::

"Knock knock" Gemma announced as she walked through the back door of Summer's house into the kitchen, she wasn't alone.

"Jasper!" Summer cried as she fell to her hands and knees. "How are you doing boy." She pushed her face into his furry neck.

"It's time you take responsibly of your dog." Gemma dropped herself down into one of Summer's kitchen chairs, this as much as Gemma refused to admit was incredible hard for her to do, Jasper was just as much her dog as he was Summer but right now Summer needed him more. "You expecting someone?" She removed the sunglass from her face and placed them on the table.

"Huh?" Summer looked up her face a slobbery mess.

"I said you expecting someone?" Gemma nodded towards the counter where enough food for a biker club was being prepared.

"Oh." Summer followed Gemma's gaze. "Yeah that cop that has been helping me out with some stuff is coming to fix a clog in my bath tub and I told him I'd make him dinner as thanks."

"Fix a clog huh." Gemma smirked and reached for the wedding scrape book sitting on the table, the same wedding book they had yet to start working on, well at least Gemma hadn't started yet. "Wow you did this?" She flipped through the first few pages instantly brought back to the day she watched Summer become Summer Hale.

"Yes fix the clog." Summer sat beside Gemma so that she could look at the pages with her. Gemma stopped on one picture it was the moment after they had both said "I do" and just before Wayne told David he could kiss his bride, they were facing each other this goofy grin on their faces and David held her hands. They both looked so young, so innocent, so in love, Gemma traced Summer's hair in the picture. Then she realized what she was doing and instantly turned the page.

"Well" Gemma looked away from Summer quickly so that she could wipe away a tear. "Don't want to interrupt."

Summer loved seeing Gemma like this; it reminded her that she was human, hmm well almost human. "Stay."

"What?" Gemma smirked.

"Stay for dinner. I made way too much food."

"I couldn't do that I would feel like I was interrupting something."

"Trust me you're not interrupting anything he's just fixing my drain and then eating, he'll be gone in no time."

"You sure?" Gemma asked.

"Positive." Summer smiled. "Besides I'm babysitting Abel."

"Oh well now I'm convinced."

::

Opie sat on the couch in his living room hearing his fiancé and his daughter argue, yet again.

The clock on the DVD player told him it was 4:35.

He hadn't been busy; today was actually a slow day at the shop so he was able to leave at noon. It was his own stupidity that kept him away from Summer's house. The fact that he had turned her into a whore yesterday still played heavy in his head. God he was a shit head, he was even disgusted with himself. Last night when Lyla insisted that he come out with her he hadn't expected to see Summer so soon, the fact that she wouldn't look at him killed him, he didn't blame her but still.

"I hate you!" Ellie screamed snapping him instantly out of his thoughts.

"Ellie that's enough," he stood up from the couch. "Say you're sorry."

"Why should I!" Ellie turned her heaving body towards him. "I hate you too! It's your fault she is here!" With that the girl ran to her room and locked the door, in the girls mind a locked door was the perfect form of protection between her and a very angry biker dad, a locked door was like a bank safe, it was like kryptonite.

"I'm sorry." Lyla let out a shaky sob and turned away from Opie to face the counter.

"What are you sorry for?" He entered the kitchen and noticed the frozen lasagna on the counter.

"I am just trying so hard for her to like me." Lyla's head fell forward; he could see her tears drop onto the counter. "I don't know what else to do."

"Come here." He reached for the petite woman and pulled her close to him. "She's just going through a phase right now. Man don't you remember what you were like at her age?"

Instantly he wondered what she was like, was she sucking cock that early on?

"I was nothing like how she is." It was almost like she could read his thoughts. "I was going to become the first female president." Lyla sobbed into his sweeter. "But then I realized all the money was in pussy." She sobbed louder, he was grateful she couldn't see the smile on his face. "I could never do this again."

"Do what?" He asked as he continued to hold her becoming a human Kleenex for her nose.

"Raise teenagers."

His head snapped up.

"You don't want any more kids?"

She pulled away from him and looked up in his face. "Uh no I'm okay with three." When she realized what he was implying her eyes widened. "You want more kids?" The evidence of her pregnancy, their pregnancy was long time gone but still the memory remained.

"Yeah." He said it so surely.

"Really?" she bit the bottom of her lip and stepped out of the embrace. "I just assumed that you were done wanting children."

He was confused by her reaction, don't all women want lots and lots of babies, wasn't it built into their fucking pussies to constantly feel the need to reproduce?

"It's not a deal breaker." He instantly knew he needed to reassure her. "Maybe it's just something we could talk more about when the time is right." He looked at the clock, 4:43.

"Sure." Lyla turned back to the counter and began to peel away the plastic wrap on their frozen dinner.

The revelation of this conversation seemed to hit somewhere he didn't know existed. The thought that he wouldn't have another child again scared him.

"You know" he looked up at the clock again this time she saw him. "I have some club shit to take care of."

"Okay." He saw the relief on her face, she was relieved this conversation was done, for now. "I'll save you some dinner?"

"Sure." He may have said yeah but really he wasn't gonna eat that shit even if she had it all over her naked body, he especially then wasn't eating it. "I'll see you later." he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"Bye baby." She smiled and turned away from him as he headed towards the door.

::

There was a truck in her driveway. A truck that didn't belong to her, didn't belong to her friends, and sure as hell didn't belong to any of his brothers.

Who the fuck is that?

He climbed off his bike and headed towards the door.

Ding Dong

He waited for a couple of seconds and then he heard barking. "Jasper?" He thought out loud.

The door opened.

The door opened because a man had opened it.

He looked at Opie and Opie looked at him.

"Yeah?" He asked as though he didn't know what else to say.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Opie!" Summer snapped from the kitchen.

He looked over the man's shoulder towards the woman standing in the door way of the kitchen. Now that was how dinner was supposed to be made, he didn't care what she was making he knew without a question of a doubt he would eat her cooking, and it didn't even need to be on her naked body.

She approached the door and the man on the inside of her house. "Excuse me." She told him as she slipped past him.

Opie stared at the man a little too comfortable inside her home.

She shut the door as she stepped outside mere inches away from him. "What are you doing here?" She hissed.

"Sorry didn't know I was interrupting you playing house." He hissed back.

"I don't need to justify my actions to you." She cut her eyes at him refusing to back down.

"So that's it then the bed's not even cold on your husband's side and you move in his fucking poor excuse for a clone?"

Her hand connected with his bearded cheek, hard, and then it connected with the other cheek, equally as hard. The second she pulled it away from his face she had it to her mouth, the shock of what she had just done set in.

The front door instantly opened and once again Marc was there. "Everything okay?" He smiled at Summer who stood wide eyed.

"Fine." She forced the words out of her opened mouth.

"You sure?"

She nodded.

He gave her one last look before he stepped back inside and shut the door.

She slowly looked away from the front door to the man who was still starting at her hard.

"I'm sorry." She bit her shaky bottom lip.

He shrugged off her apology. "You fucking him?"

"No." she shook her head and looked towards her feet, his feet, the sidewalk, anything but his face.

"Good." He took a step forward, she only knew because she saw his feet move. "Cause I own this pussy." He whispered in her ear causing instant wetness to form between her legs.

"Opie," She put a hand on his chest and pushed weakly. "Please." She whispered into his ear this time her bottom lip grazing over the bottom of his lobe. "Please don't do this."

She hadn't realized she had been moving until her back had come into contact with the brick of the house.

"Please," This time she looked into his eyes. "As long as you're with Lyla you can't own me."

"Do I need to remind you about yesterday?" He was so close she could feel his erection pushing into the thin cotton shirt covering her belly. "I can have you any time I want and you will go along with it."

Her hands were on his chest once again only she couldn't push.

"How fucking hard did you come yesterday. How wet are you right now just thinking about me bending you over my bike and having my way with you." She closed her eyes as he spoke into her ear.

Her heart was in her throat at this moment.

"Now tell me again that I don't own your pussy."

She turned her head away from him. "You don't own me." This time she pushed him away from her, hard.

He didn't have a chance to stop her before she walked back into the house and shut the door on him and on them.

::

"You're an amazing cook." Marc told her as he helped load the dishwasher.

"Thanks." Summer tried to smile as she wiped down the counter.

"I honestly don't know the last time I had this good of a meal." He threw a washer tablet into the dishwasher and shut the door. "Serious it was better than my mom's cooking."

She smiled a real smile; although she was looking at the counter he saw it. "Don't tell your mama that."

"Are you okay?" He took a step forward but left enough for comfortable distance, a safe friendly distance.

She got her emotions in check before she looked back up at him. "Yeah." She lied through her fake smile and then rinsed the cloth out in the sink. He had been there a few hours since unclogging the drain in her bedroom bathroom and now with Gemma gone and Abel asleep she was ready for him to leave, she just didn't want to be rude and ask.

"Do you want me to give you some left over's?" She offered hoping the hint at food to go would be enough, it was.

"Nah I don't want to trouble you."

"No really it's no trouble at all." She had prepared the food already and was just waiting for the chance to put it to use.

"Well if you have it ready I should probably."

"Yeah," She nodded opening the fridge and pulled the food containers out and handed them to him.

He nodded his head and started to head towards the front door contains in hand. "Well," He stopped to face her when he reached the door.

"Thanks for fixing the drain." She kept a gap between them.

"No problem." He felt her resistance to him, the resistance that was with her when she returned from her little "meeting" with Opie fucking Winston. "Take care Summer." He smiled before leaving. He hoped he said his good bye in a way that she would be left feeling guilty, that she would look back on tonight and wonder if she had been rude to him. It worked.

::

Someone was watching as Tara left the house with a baby sleeping in a car seat, someone was watching when she placed the car seat by her feet and leaned in for a hug from her best friend, someone was watching as Tara and the best friend walked towards Tara's car. Someone was watching as the best friend shut Tara's driver side door before pulling out of the driveway, someone was watching as the best friend watched the car drive down the street and then slowly turn and walk back into the house alone looking both tired and sad. This someone who was watching was also holding onto a pair of lime green boy short panties that belonged to the woman who lived in that house.

He watched as the lights went out one room at a time.

For tonight this was a safe distance.

Tomorrow though was a different story.

::

She walked into the empty club house and got a double glance from one of the new prospects.

"Hey." She headed in the direction of a patched member.

"Hey yourself little wing." He pushed his coffee cup aside and laid down his newspaper. "Morning." He greeted her before kissing her cheek as she leaned forward to kiss his. "You heading to school?" He quickly noticed today was another baggy shirt kind of day paired with another pair of jeans tucked into a pair of mid-calf motor cycle boots.

"Yeah just on my way." She leaned against the bar with her elbow. "I was hoping that you could help me with something."

"Name it." He reached forward and yanked on the end of her hair that was loosely braided off to the side.

"I need a new burner phone."

"That I can help with." He smiled standing up. "Follow me into a place where no woman has been or should go." He reached out his arm which she held onto. He led her down the hall to Juice's room. "You talk to your da yet?"

She shook her head.

"You talk to your brother yet?"

She shook her head.

"Are they trying or are you ignoring the call?"

She shrugged. "I haven't gotten a call to ignore." She pulled her arm out of his as he opened the door. An unidentified smell blew out into the hallway where they stood.

"Gross." She took a step back from the doorway as Chibs braved the smell and the mess in order to enter the room. He emerged victorious with an unopened cell phone box in his hands.

"God I don't even know what could make that kind of smell." His eyes were watering.

"Boys are gross." She yanked the door shut as soon as he cleared it.

"Aye." He agreed and handed her the box. "Here you go little wing. Don't go leavin this one behind."

She smirked at him as she looked at the generic cell phone box. "You knew or should I say know?"

"I know Irish gossip more than these American Nancy's"

"And" she still couldn't look him in the eye.

"And I think my lucky stars it's not me you picked, I don't think I would be able to keep up," he laughed.

"Oh please I'm sure you could show me a thing or two." They had started walking back towards the club house. "Chibs?" She looked at him when they reached the door to the parking lot. Holding up the box she asked a very important question. "Should I be this invested in it?"

He didn't ask what "it" was, he knew.

His answer was simple.

He nodded.

::

Her phone vibrated in her pocket during a lecture on different perm types. She smiled as she pulled it out and held it low in her lap under the table.

Dillon: I see you went with the first option.

Summer: It wasn't a choice.

Dillon: I would have called, I actually broke down two times yesterday and dialed the number but I hung up before it rang.

Summer: WHY DID YOU HANG UP!

Dillon: WHY ARE YOU TALKING IN CAPS!

Summer: Because you can't hear me yelling so I have to type yell at you.

Dillon: Type yell appose to type whisper.

Summer: har har

Dillon: Is that type laughing?

Summer: This is type silent treatment...

5 minutes later:

Dillon: Am I still getting the cold shoulder?

Summer: ...

Dillon: Oh please we both know you can't stay mad at me.

Summer: ...

Dillon: What are you wearing?

Summer: Clothing.

Dillon: She speaks!

Dillon: Seriously though what are you wearing?

Summer: What are you wearing?

Dillon: Nothing I'm completely naked baby.

Summer: ...

Dillon: Like what you remember?

Summer: You know I'm in the middle of a class right now.

Dillon: With wet panties?

Summer: I can't talk to you right now.

Dillon: Oh yeah I'm gonna like this... especially if you play along.

Summer: Keep dreaming.

Dillon: Oh baby you don't want to know what I'm dreaming about.

6 hours later:

Summer: Jeans and a shirt.

Dillon: ?

Summer: That is what I'm wearing, or was wearing.

Dillon: And now?

Summer: Bubbles and more bubbles.

Dillon: Explain with lots and lots of details.

Summer: Bath.

Dillon: Brb need to buy a plane ticket to America, Charming Cali to be exact.

Summer: Well I won't be in here much longer actually.

Dillon: Tease.

Summer: I didn't think you would get back so quickly.

Dillon: You know you were the first and last bath I'd ever taken.

Summer: I was starting to think the same about you, only I've had many many many baths before you, hence why I smell so good.

Dillon: And I don't.

Summer: ...

Summer: Kidding.

Dillon: Trust me I've smelt you it ain't all roses.

Summer: Gasp!

Dillon: Send me a picture just so I can see what I'm missing.

Summer: Yeah right.

Dillon: Do it.

Summer: Why so you could show all your little friends on the playground.

Dillon: Do as your told woman!

Dillon: please : )

5 minutes later

Dillon: Oh fuck... I'm about to cum in 3, 2,

Summer: Send me a picture.

Dillon: REALLY!

Summer: No.

Dillon: Tease.

Summer: Well I should start getting ready.

Dillon: ?

Summer: I'm on babysitting duty while Tara is doing some night shifts.

Dillon: That's nice of you.

Summer: Well that's the kinda girl I am.

Summer: Oh yeah enjoy the next pic.

5 minutes later

Dillon: fuck... You're killing me woman.

::

Summer walked into Tara's house a big smile upon her face.

"What's with you?" Ava asked as she pulled the red jump suit over a pair of jeans. Tying the arms around her waist she turned to look at Summer directly instead of through a mirror.

"Nothing." Summer continued to smile as she passed Ava.

"That's a sex smile! You had sex!"

"WHAT!" Summer gasped but the smile remained. "No I didn't"

"Summer." Ava became serious. "Please please say it wasn't with..." How bad is it that Ava had a list of names yes there were two names on that list, but more than one makes two and that makes it a list.

"I didn't sleep with anyone!" she tried to frown but it didn't work. Rolling her eyes she sighed. "I was talking to Dillon today."

Dillon, Ava didn't know. Dillon was still a wild card, but the smile on Summer's face was working in Dillon's favor, plus he had taken good care of Summer well she was gone.

Tara came out of her bedroom dressed in her generic hospital scrubs. "What's with your face?" She looked at Summer then at Ava.

"What's with your face?" Summer retorted.

"Summer has been filling a void in her life right now."

"With?" Tara wasn't catching on to the conversation. She was also currently trying to focus on getting ready for work.

"Her hand."

"Oh come on." Tara turned away from her bag and looked at Ava with an impatient look on her face. "Not everyone is as horny as you are."

Ava opened her mouth dispute her but closed it almost instantly, Tara was actually right in this case.

"Well I for one am glad to see you looking more yourself." Tara turned back to Summer and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Abel is out and should be for the rest of the night. If he does wake up there are a couple of bottles in the fridge." Tara began running down the babysitting list as if Summer was a teenager and on her first babysitting job.

"Ready?" When she finished the check list she turned to Ava, Tara was apparently her ride to work.

"Ready mom?" Ava smiled before she too gave Summer a kiss on the cheek and she smacked Summer's behind when the kiss ended. "Remember you are here to babysit not..." she made very crude hand single.

"AVA!" Tara smacked Ava's hand hard.

"WHAT!" Ava snapped back.

"Please just go before you wake up the baby."

"BYE!" Ava yelled before slamming the door.

Abel woke up seconds later.

::

Summer: You're a bitch.

Ava: I love you too! xxxoooxoxoxoxox

Summer: Go to hell

Ava: No touching yourself you filthy whore.

Summer: I WASN'T!

Ava: Anyways I have things to do so please stop bothering me.

Summer: Later.

Ava: No touching!

Summer: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

::

She had finally got Abel down to bed when the phone rang, spiriting, lunging, jumping over hurdles (the couch) she answered the phone on the first ring.

"Good Evening." The auto prompt told her. "We are calling from Stockton Penitentiary with a collect call from a Jackson Teller" Her heart raced. "Please say yes now if you accept the call"

"YES!" She hoped her yes came out clear as she screamed it.

There was a click.

"Hey babe." He started.

"It's not Tara." She quickly said.

Silence.

"It's Summer."

"Summer" He said her name as though it was a breath. "Oh my god I'm so sorry."

She slid onto the couch. The moment she heard him say those words all the anger she was holding onto seemed to float away, for now.

"Jax I understand I just wish I would have gotten a heads up or something. I could have played along."

"Sum it needed to be believable and the only way for it to work was for it to be real. Trust me we all hated it, Bobbie is still upset over it."

"Good." She pouted but she really didn't mean it. "Are you doing okay?" She didn't care about the past anymore now what she cared about was her brother and her father and her family.

"We are good, surviving, missing the hell out of our families, but good."

"And Clay?"

"Miss you more than you will ever know."

"Why hasn't he called?"

"He's scared you're still upset."

"I'm sure he isn't scared."

"Trust me Sum he is a walking basket case when it comes to you."

That made her feel very guilty.

"Great so I'll be the cause to his heart failure."

Jax laughed. "Probably."

"You're not supposed to agree with me."

They feel into a few minutes of comfortable sibling banter.

He filled her in on life on the inside and she filled him in on life on the outside.

When the minute warning came they both sighed at the same time.

"I'll have him call you tomorrow." Jax promised.

"I'll be waiting."

The line went dead, their minute was up.

::

Tomorrow turned into today and she kept her word, tomorrow turned into yesterday and it seemed that he hadn't kept his.

It was a whole three tomorrow until her phone finally rang with the same auto prompt recording she had answered at Tara's.

When she heard the message as if she would accept the call from a one "Poor excuse for a father." she instantly said yes.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he said back.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"So who's this guy that's been hanging around?" he asked.

"Guy?" she had no idea what he was talking about. "Oh wait." It dawned on her. "Marc?"

"Yeah that cop."

"He's just a guy." Clay couldn't hear the smile in her voice that would give her away, from that lack of smile he determined there was nothing to worry about with the new man lurking upon no man's land. "Honestly I think he feels sorry for me. He's been nice though helps with some things around the house but that's pretty much it."

"You need something done around the house you ask a prospect or a member you don't go looking for help from outside of the club you hear me." he was stern as he spoke and super serious to boot.

"Alright." Now he heard the smile in her voice.

He sighed resting his forehead against his forearm which resting on the casing of the pay phone. "God I miss you my Summer girl."

"I miss you too daddy." It was rare for her to address him as was he biologically was to her but on a day like today it just felt … right… needed…

He smiled without her seeing it.

She didn't need to see it to know it was there.

"Can I come visit you?" She asked as though her hopes weren't raised.

"Of course." He answered as thought his were raised beyond. "Visitation starts next Saturday."

"I'll let Gemma get this one and then I'll come next Saturday?"

His hopes dropped. "Sure baby girl." She could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"I love you Clay" she told him.

"Love you too baby."

The minute mark was over and the conversation was done.

::

"We need to talk Thanksgiving."

"That like a whole 2 weeks away." Summer sat at her kitchen table sticking the backs of photos with little sticky squares.

"Be that as it may there is still a lot that needs to be done in 2 weeks." Gemma had given up on the arts and craft time and settled with smoking and drinking coffee. She sat back in the chair and lit up another smoke, than she passed it to Summer, and lit up one of her own.

"Well about that." Summer looked down at the page she had just completed in her wedding/life with David scrap book. "Maybe we could do Thanksgiving here?"

"Here?" Gemma looked around at the small kitchen with barely enough room for a kitchen table.

"Yeah I mean it's what you and me, Tara and Ava, Chibs and Kozik and the two prospects. There's plenty of room for 8 people."

"I guess." Gemma wasn't convinced.

"I could prepare all the food and I'd handle the clean up all you would have to do is show up with your stretch pants on and chow down."

"Honey I don't own stretchy pants."

"Well you could borrow some of mine if need be."

"Oh please." Gemma rolled her eyes. "They wouldn't fit over my ass." She smirked before she took a sip from her coffee mug. "I suppose I could give you this one holiday." She put the coffee mug down. "But Christmas that is mine." she pointed a finger at Summer showing her how serious she was.

"Deal!" Summer clapped her hands together with the cigarette between her lips.

"Uh listen." Gemma butted out her smoke. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something." She sat up and rubbed her palms along her thighs, a typical "nervous" Gemma move. "How are you doing?"

Summer barked a laugh "How am I doing?" she repeated the question as she flicked an ash from her smoke in the ash tray before starting the next page in her scrap book, this one dedicated to their one day enjoying the "cabin life".

"Yeah." Gemma needed to word this properly. "With Tara."

"With Tara?" the moment Gemma said the words Summer knew exactly what was coming next, it was honestly expected.

"With her pregnancy."

Summer looked down at the page she was working on; the memories of that day rushed her brain hard. She looked at herself in a white bikini top knowing that it was that day that David would find out she was pregnant with their baby. Craft time went from fun moment to a horrible flood of memories and emotions.

She was silent for a minute so she could put her thoughts into words. "Obviously I'm so happy for Tara." She gave a half smile towards Gemma. "But seeing her sometimes is a hard reminded of what I loss." She ran her pointer finger over her husband's handsome face. "I am just glad David wasn't around to see me loose our baby."

"What happened with?" Gemma looked down at Summer's stomach. "That wasn't your fault."

Summer shrugged and closed the book on her memories. "I know that I do and trust me it is still something I am coming to terms with but it doesn't stop the hurt of losing them both. If I had Maisy I would be constantly reminded of David. But if I had David well that would be completely different." She got up and headed towards the counter. "It's just not meant to be for me."

"What isn't" Gemma followed Summer with her eyes.

"Marriage, love, children, family… take your pick"

"Are you serious?" Gemma shook her head at daughter. "One set back and suddenly you're ready to throw in the towel."

"It wasn't just a setback Gemma this was a moment that ruined my life." She braced herself on the counter with her back towards Gemma as another flood of emotions worked their way through her. "I lost everything and I'm trying so hard to hold it together most days, eventually it will be back to normal for me and hopefully that day comes sooner than later but when it does, I can't let myself be in a position to lose it all again."

"What about this Dillon guy you've been texting." Gemma nodded at the phone tucked into the pocket of Summer's jeans. "Does he know your suddenly monastery bound?"

"What could possibly come from a person who lives half a world away?"

Gemma smirked knowing a secret that Summer clearly didn't know yet.

"It would surprise you who was willing and wanting a family sometimes." Summer had once again turned her back on Gemma missing her last almost whisper loud comment.

"It's what I've experience that is making me give it all up." She said to the window. "Gemma I'm fine with the choices that I've made." She forced a sad smile to her face before she turned around again. "I will be okay."

"Well okay then." Gemma looked away knowing that this conversation would be had again but on another day. Looking down at Jasper laying under the table she frowned.

"What's wrong with Jasper?"

Summer shook her head and walked towards the table knelling down when she reached it. "I don't know he's seriously either the laziest dog ever or doing something throughout the night that's keeping him up."

"My money is on lazy." Gemma reached for the coffee pot to refill her cup.

"Was he like this with you?" She ran her fingers through the dog's thick coat.

"Lazy? Yeah." Gemma stirred some sugar into her cup.

"No tired. He sleeps almost all day."

Gemma shrugged and looked down at the dog under the table. "Must be something to do with the changing seasons." She let her hand fall so the dog could like her fingers. "I'm sure it's nothing baby."

::

"Fuck she was serious." Summer mumbled to herself as Lyla and her "entourage" walked into the salon. Course had been 2 Thursdays since Summer's offer had been made and clearly by the looks of Lyla's hair, not forgotten.

"Hey!" The woman beamed as she walked around the counter in the direction of Summer's station.

With a "smile" and a nod Summer greeted her and the 2 women in tow.

"I'm hoping you're not busy." Lyla sat down in the chair Summer had just stood up from.

"For?" She asked running her hands over the front of her fade gray jeans.

"I wanna go back to blond." Lyla ran her fingers through her faded chocolate locks.

"What?" Summer looked at a few of her co workers who were quickly fleeing the area. "Now?" she looked at the clock above the door. "We close in like an hour I can't strip and recolor your hair in that short of time."

Lyla looked at her as though Summer spoke another language. "Oh." She said in a way that pulled on Summer's conscious.

Inhaling through her nose she looked down at the woman starting to stand from the chair. "How about this." She started. "Let me run and get a drink and have a cigarette and then I'm yours all night."

"And the girls." Lyla pointed towards her lackeys.

"Excuse me?" Summer looked at the blonde and blonder. "What do you guys want?"

"I want a perm." The smaller of the two beamed. "Like beach wave perm."

"Course and you?"

The girl shrugged. "I just need a trim."

That girl was officially Summer's favorite.

"Great well give me 10 minutes." She signed and tugged her messenger bag from a drawer of her station. "You ladies want anything?"

"Actually." Lyla said with a wicked grin.

::

She stood in line at the diner waiting for her take out order and the bill when he noticed her.

"Summer." She turned when her name had been called out and smiled widely at the man who had called it. "You picking up dinner?" Elliot asked.

She rolled her eyes before speak. "Doing some hair tonight and playing waitress at the same time."

"Ava and Tara's?"

"Nope." The waitress brought the large brown paper bag and placed it on the counter. "I'm going back to my roots on these girls." She handed the waitress the cash with more than enough for tip.

"When are you finished with school?"

"Couple more weeks." She picked up the bag. "Have to some catch up to play over the Christmas break but I should be done 2nd week in January."

"Any plans after that?"

She shrugged. "Originally I had wanted to take the esthetician course. But" she shrugged. "I was also not supporting myself when I had made that plan."

He looked at her a little confused. "Are you having money problems?"

"Aren't we all." She huffed some stray curls away from her face before she looked at him and remembered how mucho mucho rich he was. "We'll not all of us."

"What about the money from David's estate."

"That's not my money that is David's money." He saw the way she looked towards the people on her right.

Nodding to a booth he led the way to a private conversation. "Summer if you need anything."

"I don't need anything Elliot and thank you for whatever it is your about to offer but I am telling you right now I'm not yet in a situation that I need to accept." She put her hand, the one that wasn't holding a big hot bag of take out, on his. "I'm sure David would be grateful for your kindness."

He leaned forward. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

"Okay." She leaned forward too feeling as though she had too.

"I'm running for mayor."

She nodded already knowing this.

"Against Jacob Hale."

She nodded again, that was when she noticed him looking at the wedding ring on her ring finger. "Summer it's no secret how in love you and David were. You came into David's life when he needed someone the most, you turned him into a man this town needed. This town died a little when David died, and not just for him, it was more so for you."

"Elliot I can't vote for you if that's what you're asking, technically I'm not a resident."

"I'm not asking for your vote or for you to campaign for me."

"I don't understand, if you aren't asking for me to sway votes then what are you asking me for."

He looked around making sure no one was listening before he leaned in closer. "I'm asking for you to be a reminded of what we lost. With you on my side the town will follow without realizing it."

She sat back confused more than ever, it was no secret that Elliot was friends to the club, it was no secret that Elliot and David had a close relationship, and it was certainly no secret that their relationship extended to David's 2nd wife.

"With your permission I would like to put you smack dab in the middle of Charming."

"Do you want me just to stand there or something?" She smiled trying to make this conversation back to the light and airy conversations they usually had.

"I'm gonna give you the loan you need so when you graduate you can be your own boss."

Her smile dropped and her eyes widened. "Elliot" she frowned.

He put up a hand stopping her. "Hear me out. If people see that you and I are in business they will see me as the man who is helping the surviving half of Charming's heart breaking love story. People will eat it up, especially the female voters. I'm sure with you on my side it will help with the male votes as well but that's neither here nor there."

"Yeah okay but what about the fact that Jacob is David's brother."

"Who had a very public falling out when he demanded that David end the relationship with you?"

It still stung her heart to be deemed not good enough for the Hales, it still stung her heart when she remembered what David had given up for her.

She tapped her finger on the cracked vinyl table top and looked away from the man with the generous offer.

"Can I think about it?" after a few seconds of thinking she finally asked.

"Of course I would have told you to anyways." He smiled and began to slide out of the booth.

"But." She stopped him. "If I do this then it's a loan, I pay you back."

He slid back into the booth.

"I have "inherited" too much and I haven't had the chance to work for anything. If I go along with whatever you want to call it you have to let me make payments and then in the end the salon is completely mine."

He smiled at her crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm sure we could come to some sort of agreement."

"No deals, no discounts" she pointed a finger at him. "I want the rate you would charge everyone else."

"Deal." He smiled extending his hand.

"Deal." They shook on it.

::

She walked back into the hair salon a smile permantely on her face and a bag of grease take out in her arm.

"Hey." She raised her head when she heard the masculine voice and looked towards her now crowded work station. Kozik was already heading in her direction in the name of helping.

"We were starting to get worried about you." Lyla lied.

"I'm sure." She mumbled loud enough for only her to hear, oh and Kozik too who smiled. "You guys looking at getting some services done because my rate goes up by the hour."

"You sound like a hooker." Opie growled.

She didn't even glance towards the man leaning against her work station. "Well ladies I have some things to do tonight so let's get this show on the road shall we."

"We keeping you from something." Once again she ignored the biker.

"Lyla you stay in that chair, Blondie you can sit next to her here" she patted the chair to the left. "And legs you can sit in the other chair."

"Why can't I be legs." The one nick named Blondie whined.

The cell phone in her pocket vibrated as she organized the girls. Her smile that was already large grew when she looked at the message.

"Someone inquiring about your rates?" he asked.

She ignored.

Lyla watched the vein in Opie's head grow.

She typed away for a second before she stuck the phone in her pocket and turned back to the girls. "So your blonde, you're a perm, and you're a trim?" she tapped each seat in the order of what service was to be done."

"I want a trim too." Lyla smiled an innocent smile. "And styled."

Summer wanted to say that there was absolutely nothing that could ruin her mood right now but she knew the smile on her face that had been there since the deal for her future was made was ruining Lyla's.

Mission accomplished.

"Alright" she took a deep breath before heading towards the back room where all the products were stored.

She had assumed that when she returned the two men who have left, they hadn't, of course. They had also all started digging into their dinners; Summer had purposely bought not enough so that she wouldn't need to eat with them.

"You're not hungry?" Kozik noticed.

"Nope." She pulled her hair into a top knot before starting on the first head of hair, the simple head of hair. "Follow me." she lead the girl to the sink. If these girls expected to take up Summer's time tonight then she would make sure they paid. She would draw out this night for as long as she could before she really did actually have to leave. Her plans though weren't till 12, it was currently 5.

"You're really into this shit huh?" she hadn't realized Kozik had followed until he spoke.

"Looks that way." She started washing the woman's hair; the woman closed her eyes the second Summer's gentle hands went to work on her scalp and hair.

"Aren't you suppose to have someone do this for you?" he leaned against the one of the free sinks.

She looked at him not understanding the question.

"Like an assistant or something?"

"I'm just a student." She smiled. "I am the assistant."

"Not what I heard." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I heard that you are the top of your class, that you're the only one in it that has any potential."

"You don't seem like the type that would be tapped into the gossip of a hair salon."

"I get around." He shrugged.

"I don't doubt it." She looked back at the head she was washing.

"You know Summer." Lyla started. "I was hoping we could come back another time and try out some hair styles I might want to use for the wedding." Summer rolled her eyes; Kozik saw it thanks to the mirror in front of her. "You think you'll still be here in a couple of months?"

"Probably." She plastered on a smile and turned to look at the group behind them. "You guys set a date yet?" She kept the obviously fake smile on her face.

"Yeah actually." Lyla looked up at Opie. "We are thinking a June wedding. When the clubs out."

"It's kind of early to be picking out hair styles don't you think?" she had turned back towards the woman in the sink. "You'll probably change your mind a few times before that." She turned off the hose and wrung out excess water from the girls hair.

When she looked back at Lyla after wrapping a towel around the woman's head she was shocked at the shade of red on her face.

"Or not." Summer told her as Lyla huffed to herself.

::

By the time she got Lyla's hair color stripped she was exhausted and drained. Her face hurt do to the fake smile she had kept on for the last few hours and she couldn't stand to her another wedding detail that was only being brought up just in spite of her. She had never felt more uncomfortable in her whole life.

Opie was certainly the reason for that.

She got the requested shade of blonde in Lyla's head before she had to give herself a break. "I'll be right back to check on your perm blonde." She told the woman she had been multi tasking on.

"Are you going to get a coffee?" Lyla asked just as Summer reached the door.

"Nope." Summer told her just as she left the door.

She lit a smoke on her way to the coffee shop.

"You lied?" She spun around startled by the voice behind her.

"I didn't lie." She told Kozik as he followed.

"You totally lied." He pointed to the coffee shop she was almost at.

"I'm getting a tea." She informed him. "Not a coffee." Case closed.

"Did you guys ever get along?" he asked holding open the door for her.

"We get along." She told him as she passed by.

"Oh is that what you call that." He pointed back towards the salon across the street. "Hope you and me don't get along like that." He followed her to the till.

"Evening Darla." She smiled at the counter lady, the counter lady smiled back.

"Evening Summer you still over at the salon?" the lady had her large chamomile tea ready.

"I am." She exhaled through her nose. "Just some walk ins that are asking for the moon."

"You're a better woman then I am. I would have tossed their asses out hours ago." Darla dropped Summer's change in her hand which she then dropped into Darla's tip cup. "New body guard?" Darla nodded towards Kozik.

"New shadow." Summer signed. "Anyways have a good night."

"You too darling."

"You make it seem like I'm an inconvenience or something." he followed her.

"Among other things." She told him as she held the door open for him this time.

"Your boyfriend or something?" she looked up to see what Kozik was referring to. Officer Kennedy was pulling his cruiser up to the salon.

"No." She crossed the street leaving Kozik behind and headed towards the car. "Hi." She smiled as she approached the driver side door before he had a chance to get out.

"Got a call that the lights were on in the Salon."

"Just me."

He looked over Summer's shoulder to the biker following her. "You working late?" he asked returning his attention to her.

"Yeah couple more hours." They spoke through his open driver side window; this was the first time in the last couple weeks since he fixed her drain that they had seen each other, that she knew of.

"Alright if you need anything just call the station." She could pick up an underling tone in the way he talked, what it was she couldn't quite put her finger on, maybe resentment or jealousy or who knows whatever it was, it was there.

"Sure." She smiled and stepped back from the car so that he could drive away, she continued to watch till his tail lights faded off in the distance.

"So you just rub everyone the wrong way I see."

"Huh?" she turned to him.

"Your boyfriend is totally pissed at you." Kozik nodded towards the empty street the car had just driven down.

"He isn't my boyfriend."

"Sure." He smiled before he walked back into the salon doors.

She looked once more down the street at nothing before she too entered the salon, coffee cup in hand.

::

Legs had left, Blondie was yawning, and Lyla was fluffing up her freshly blonde hair.

She was done.

She yawned herself a little as she punched in the total for Lyla's debt card.

"Tired?" Opie asked. This was the first thing he had said to her in hours.

Once again she ignored him.

The charge went through and she handed Lyla the receipt noticing the lack of a tip. The bell behind them rang as a woman in a red jump suit walked in.

"Hey." Lyla smiled.

Ava snorted through her nose at the woman and headed towards Summer. "Seriously do you have a fucking horse shoe shoved up your ass."

Summer turned to Ava as though they were the only ones in the salon. "I know right I didn't see it coming but nothing is official yet." She rang in the amount for Blondie and handed her the debt machine.

"You up for celebrating still?" Ava asked unzipping the top have of her jump suit and tying the arms around her waist.

"Of course." She yawned as she pulled off the receipt when it beeped approved and handed it to the woman with the perfect beach waved hair, she saw the tip and smiled at the woman. "Drinks tonight are courteous of Blondie."

Opie cleared his throat, everyone looked at him. "You know the rules you take a prospect with you."

The perfectly timed roar of a Harley told him she had already made the plans. She made sure he was looking at her when the bike came to a stop, she also made sure he saw the smirk on her face as Chibs walked into the hair salon a smile on his handsome scarred faced.

"Alright you little wing and she-wolf you ready for a night with a real man?" he clapped his hands in front of him and then rubbed them.

::


End file.
